The Martin Olav Sabo bridge is a signature cable stayed bridge in Minneapolis, located just north of (and parallel to) Lake Street. The bridge is 2,200 feet long with a main clear span of 220 feet, which crosses both Hiawatha Ave (MN-55) and the Hiawatha light rail line. The bridge was built to carry the Midtown Greenway, a crosstown grade-separated bicycle expressway, across the very busy Hiawatha Ave and light rail lines without a need for the bicycle riders to cross at street level. Prior to the bridge opening, crossing Hiawatha Avenue was very difficult due to the high traffic volumes and the large number of streets that converge in the area.

I went to check out the construction site on several occasions prior to the bridge opening. In mid-December, 2006, bridge piers were complete on the east end of the span. On the west end, pilings were being driven to support the main tower. The tower itself will look very much like the Reiman Bridge in Milwaukee. It will rise at an angle towards the crossing, then tip back away from the crossing, with the change in angle happening where the bridge deck meets the tower.

In early 2007, the ground-level anchors for the cables were complete. Work was starting on the pier that would connect to the embankment that leads to the west side of the bridge. As of June 2007, the piers were complete, and falsework was erected for the bridge deck to be poured in place.

With the addition of this bridge, and another bridge being built at Chicago Ave, the Midtown Greenway will run from west of Lake Calhoun to the Mississippi River. The west end connects to a trail known as the LRT trail, which is an old rail line that is being held in reserve for a future light rail project. The east end of the trail ends at the Milwaukee Road Short Line Bridge over the Mississippi River. It is hoped that rail traffic can be eliminated from that bridge, and the Midtown Greenway can be extended east of the river to connect with trails that go all the way to the Wisconsin state line.

Marty Sabo was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1960 at the age of 22. He moved onto the US House of Representatives in 1978. He retired at the end of his term which expired January 3, 2007. Sabo has been instrumental in supporting highway and transportation projects both in Minnesota and the nation as a whole.

The photo above is a view of the structure from the commercial parking lot located just south of the bridge.

The photo above is the bridge as seen from the west approach to the structure. The pavement is marked for three lanes of traffic, 2 lanes for bicycles, and one lane for pedestrians. The photo below is a view of the main bridge span.

The photo above is the bridge deck as it passes on both sides of the bridge tower. Benches have been installed at two locations on the bridge deck to allow pedestrians to rest and watch the world pass bye. The photo below is the main span bridge deck looking to the east.

The photo below is the bridge deck as it curves to the south at the east end of the structure. The photo below is a west end of the bridge deck looking to the west.

The photo above is the east end of the bridge as seen from north of the structure looking to the southeast. The photo below is the east abutment of the bridge.

The photo below is a view of one of the cable anchor blocks as seen from the bridge deck. The photo below is the connection between one of the stay cables and the bridge deck. Bridge lighting is installed in several locations on the structure, including both of these locations.

The photo above is a view of the bridge span from under the structure. The photo below a view of the bridge tower shortly before the bridge opened.

These two photos are views of the bridge from late in the construction project. The photo above is a view of the bridge span, while the photo below is the west abutment.

These two photos are views from earlier in the construction project. The photo above is the west abutment and supports for falsework that is being erected to support concrete forms. The photo below shows the falsework that has been erected for the east end of the bridge deck.