The Intercity Bridge, more commonly known as the Ford Parkway Bridge (and sometimes referred to as the 46th Street Bridge by residents of Minneapolis), is a reinforced concrete arch bridge that spans the Mississippi River between

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, United States. It connects 46th Street in Minneapolis with Ford Parkway in Saint Paul. The bridge is historically significant as one of the largest reinforced concrete bridges ever built in Minnesota. It was built in 1925-1927 by

James O. Heyworth, Inc. James is a common English language surname and given name: * James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

and was designed by Martin Sigvart Grytbak. The Intercity Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It is notable as one of the monumental concrete rib-arch bridges spanning the high river bluffs along the Mississippi River, along with the Franklin Avenue Bridge, the Third Avenue Bridge, the

10th Avenue Bridge The 10th Avenue Bridge crosses the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and also in proximity to the University of Minnesota. The bridge historically was called the Cedar Avenue Bridge from days prior to the construction of the ...

, and the

Robert Street Bridge The Robert Street Bridge is a reinforced concrete multiple-arch bridge that spans the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. The bridge is notable for its complex design that was required to accommodate river traffic ...

. The bridge was originally built to service Ford's Twin Cities Assembly Plant, so Minneapolis residents could commute to the Ford plant. The Ford plant, along with

Lock and Dam No. 1 Ford Dam, officially known as Lock and Dam No. 1, is on the Upper Mississippi River and is located between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota just north of the confluence of the Mississippi with the Minnesota River at Mississippi River mile 84 ...

, was expected to make the Highland Park area of St. Paul extremely desirable. As part of the planned development, St. Paul expanded the original street, Edsel Avenue, and renamed it Ford Parkway. The bridge project was designed by a committee of politicians and engineers from both Minneapolis and St. Paul and chaired by

Charles M. Babcock Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

, Minnesota's first commissioner of highways. The development that was expected as a result of the bridge did not materialize, however, because of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and growth in Minneapolis neighborhoods on the opposite side of the bridge. It was not until after World War II that the desired growth in the Highland Park area resulted from the bridge. In 1972-1973, the bridge was redecked and widened, but this did not detract from the historic significance of the bridge. In 2004, the bridge was rebuilt from the arches up. The rebuilding project was given an award by the Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers in 2006.

Pictures

Image:IntercityBridge.jpg, A view from the south side, with the powerhouse of the Ford Dam in the foreground. Image:Intercity Bridge.jpg, A view from underneath the bridge on the St. Paul side, looking west. Image:Intercity_Bridge_Plaque.JPG, Plaque commemorating the construction of the Intercity Bridge on the St. Paul side.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Bridges completed in 1927 Bridges in Minneapolis Bridges in Saint Paul, Minnesota Bridges over the Mississippi River Concrete bridges in the United States Mississippi Gorge National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi National River and Recreation Area National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Shared-use paths in Minneapolis

Pictures

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References