This bridge started life back in 1887. It was one truss section of a 4 span truss bridge that crossed the Mississippi River at Broadway Avenue. The Broadway Avenue bridge was removed in 1985, and a new 4 lane bridge opened in 1987. The best of the 4 spans were picked to be saved. That span was floated down river, and installed across the East Channel of the Mississippi River in front of the Saint Anthony Main development.

While the truss section dates from 1887, the piers and the approach spans for the Merriam Street Bridge are new construction. Due to concerns about the bridge structure, it was built on top of a set of steel girders. As a result, the truss no longer supports the main bridge span. Finally, the steel grate deck was removed and replaced with a concrete deck. Wooden walkways were built on the outside of the truss on each side of the bridge.

The bridge rebuilding work was very tastefully done. The bridge has the appearance of a 100 year old bridge, yet is built like a modern bridge. It looks very natural sitting at that location, like it was built to be there from the very start. This project is a very innovative reuse of an old bridge span.

The photo above is a view from the northeast corner of the bridge near Main Street, looking southwest across the east river channel towards Nicollet Island. The photo below is looking at the south bridge portal, looking across the bridge towards Saint Anthony Main.

The photo above is view looking north across the Mississippi River from Nicollet Island along the east face of the Merriam Street Bridge. While the truss span dates from 1887, the piers and approach spans are new construction. The photo below is looking upstream to the west towards the east face of the structure from the westernmost tip of Water Power Park, which sits on an island just downstream of Nicollet Island.