DeSoto Bridge was a trussed deck-

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...

that spanned the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud or Saint Cloud (; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 68,881 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's 12th-largest city. St. Cloud is the c ...

. It was built in 1958 by the

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees Transportation in Minnesota, transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Cabinet (government), cabinet-lev ...

. The bridge was painted black, which is typical for railroad bridges but unusual for a highway bridge. The river banks on either side are relatively high, so the bridge required deep trusses which arched over the river. After the collapse of the

I-35W Mississippi River bridge The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane, steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneap ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

on August 1, 2007, Minnesota Governor

Tim Pawlenty Timothy James Pawlenty ( ; born November 27, 1960) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served from 2003 to 2011 as the 39th governor of Minnesota. A member of the Republican Party, Pawlenty served in the Minnesota House ...

ordered the DeSoto Bridge and two other bridges in Minnesota to be inspected. The three bridges have a design similar to that of the former I-35W bridge. The bridge was inspected on August 3, 2007 and found to be structurally sound. However, on March 20, 2008, four

gusset plate In structural engineering and construction, a gusset plate is a plate for connecting Beam (structure), beams and girders to columns. A gusset plate can be fastened to a permanent member either by Bolted joint, bolts, rivets or welding or a combi ...

s were found to be bent. The bridge was closed indefinitely as a precaution and demolished in October 2008. After inspections by the

and the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and inci ...

, it was determined that the DeSoto Bridge should be replaced. The replacement project started in September 2008 and was originally projected to be completed by June 2010. The new replacement bridge, named the

Granite City Crossing The Granite City Crossing is a bridge that carries Minnesota State Highway 23 across the Mississippi River in the city of St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. It was built to replace the DeSoto Bridge in the same location. Constructio ...

, opened October 29, 2009.

References

General references * Cited references

External links

Minnesota Department of Transportation - Hwy 23 Bridge in St. Cloud
Bridges completed in 1958 Bridges over the Mississippi River Buildings and structures demolished in 2008 Buildings and structures in St. Cloud, Minnesota Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Demolished bridges in the United States Former road bridges in Minnesota Truss bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States 1958 establishments in Minnesota 2008 disestablishments in Minnesota {{Minnesota-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links