The huge MN-33 expressway bridge sits very close to the Main Street bridge. While the MN-33 bridge soars high over the water, the Main Street bridge is very low to the water. This is an interesting side by side contrast. The reason is that the heavily traveled MN-33 expressway goes over the top of the railroad tracks to avoid having through traffic stop for trains. The much less used Main Street bridge is at the same grade level as the railroad tracks. Since railroads are very sensitive to elevation and grades, the rail tracks cannot easily be raised or lowered. As a result, the elevation of Main Street was determined by the railroad tracks.
The bridge is a prestressed concrete girder bridge with a reinforced concrete deck. That is pretty typical of a rural Minnesota bridge. What is not as typical is the extensive use of decorative elements on the bridge. We see cobblestone on the side of the bridge, paver stones on the walkways, wrought iron guardrails, and fancy retro-style street lights. While I am sure that these features added to the cost of the bridge, a bridge sitting in a location such as this that has both the natural beauty of the Saint Louis River and the history of the City of Cloquet simply has to be a signature structure. The bridge designers really hit a home run with this landmark bridge.
The final two photos below show the remains of the old bridge that once crossed the north channel of the Saint Louis River. That bridge would have been used along with the old Main Street Bridge as the one and only Saint Louis River crossing in the city of Cloquet. I have not yet learned the dates when this bridge was in use. It appears that the current MN-33 expressway bridges are replacements for earlier bridges on the same alignment, so these bridge remains would have been from and even older time period.
