Overview

• MnDOT recommended Alternative
• Project fact sheet (PDF, 1 MB)

 

Location

• City of Winona

 

Schedule

• Current preliminary design schedule (PDF, 211 KB)
• Construction begins in 2015
  
  

Cost

• $150 million to $175 million (total planning-level cost estimate)
• Cost range includes right-of-way, design and construction contract administration and reflects a number of unknowns and assumptions

Historic Bridge Information

 

Completed in 1942, the Winona Bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Section 106 of the Act requires federal projects to consider historic preservation in planning and decision making. MnDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, and the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) work together to ensure the Section 106 process is followed. In addition, state-level agreements also govern historic preservation considerations.

The feasibility of rehabilitating the existing bridge is a key factor in understanding the project alternatives.
Because they must reflect both state and federal regulations and policies, evaluation criteria are being carefully reviewed at all levels. Factors under consideration include the impacts of rehabilitation activities on the historic materials and design of the bridge, the cost of rehabilitation options, the life expectancy of the bridge following rehabilitation activities, and whether rehabilitation can occur without closing the bridge for a significant amount of time.

The character-defining features that make the bridge historically significant are:

• The through-truss design and construction techniques
• The deck truss design and construction
• Architectural design elements used in the concrete piers

These elements of the bridge are the most important to try to preserve in a rehabilitation project. More information about the character-defining features is available in the document here:

Bridge Significance and Character-Defining Features (PDF, 36 KB)

More information on historic bridges in Minnesota:
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/historicbridges/

More information on the Section 106 process:
http://www.achp.gov/docs/CitizenGuide.pdf