There are two river channels in the Saint Anthony Falls area. The main channel of the Mississippi River runs along the west bank of the river. The east channel of the Mississippi River runs along the east bank of the river. The two channels are separated by Nicollet Island.

The Hennepin Avenue river crossing consists of three bridges. This includes suspension bridge over the main channel, and a pair of one-way steel girder bridges over the east channel. This page discusses the northbound bridge over the east channel, also known as the East Channel Bridge.

The East Channel Bridge is a very generic modern steel girder bridge with a concrete deck. It does have sidewalks that are protected from traffic by smaller guardrails and curbs. Beyond that, it has no decorative features. The bridge was painted in 1990 to match the green color of the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge.

This location has seen a number of previous bridges. The first structure was a wooden dam built in 1847. The dam had a walkway that connected the east bank to Nicollet Island. A wooden beam bridge was built in 1853, which was replaced with a wooden truss bridge in 1869. A more permanent five span stone arch bridge was built in 1878. That bridge was demolished in 1973 after the current East Channel Bridge was built.

The photo above is a profile view of the bridge taken from the deck of the Merriam Street Bridge. The photo below is a view of the East Channel Bridge taken from street level. This view is looking north towards Riverplace and the Saint Anthony Main complex.