Ramsey Park Swayback Bridge (Bridge 89859)
See features of the bridge
History and significance
The Ramsey Park Swayback Bridge is a multi-span, Rustic-style, reinforced-concrete slab bridge faced with North Redwood granite veneer. Constructed in 1938, it carries County Road 31 (East Oak Street) over the Redwood River in Alexander Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls, Redwood County. The bridge is listed in the National Register and is significant as a swayback arch design that was built by the Works Progress Administration.
Rehabilitation activities
Redwood County restored the bridge in 2013 following flood damage. The County applied for and received a design exception for the 6-inch-high railings, leaving this feature as it has been for 80 years. To add taller modern railings would have created an adverse effect under preservation regulations. This railing modification would also run counter to the design of this bridge, in which it was intended to have water and debris flow over the bridge during flooding. As part of the rehabilitation work, the masonry was repointed and missing stones were replaced with in-kind material, concrete slab spans were replaced in-kind, new floor drains were installed, and the roadway approach was improved to smooth the transition to the new deck.
Location
City of Redwood Falls (Redwood County)
Latitude, Longitude:
44.55089330, -95.12492383
Bridge features
Design and construction of a multi-span, reinforced-concrete, swayback bridge.
Overall aesthetic treatment representing the Rustic style, including the use of North Redwood granite, battered piers, stepped parapet, and the swayback design.