Contractors worked through rain, heat and snow to finish renovating the bridge, which had fallen into disrepair since opening in 1918. Its reopening restores a vital link between downtown and northeast Minneapolis.

By Kyeland Jackson

October 28, 2023 at 10:58PM

Minneapolis celebrated on Saturday the reopening of the historic 3rd Avenue Bridge, which had been closed and under construction for the past three years. (Shari L. Gross, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

For nearly three years, Aviva Breen has watched crews dismantle, then rebuild her favorite destination.

Breen has lived near the entrance to the 3rd Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis for 30 years, often walking across the historic landmark to reach downtown. Contractors disturbed her routine when Minneapolis closed the bridge in 2020 for repairs. But on Saturday, Breen was among the first to cross the bridge again during a ceremony reopening it and restoring an important connection between downtown and the city's northeast side.

"This was my go-to spot," Breen said, pointing to La Rive Condos where her apartment overlooks the bridge. "This is one of the ways you walk downtown, so it's like, 'finally.' ... Watching it actually finish was the best part."

Ceremony attendees drank coffee and conversed from lawn chairs arranged around fires. Kids prepared to paint pumpkins while others colored a Minnesota Department of Transportation van. At the bridge's entrance, visitors ordered from the Cafe Cairo food truck as Space Force, a St. Paul-based band, played with guest saxophonist Matty Harris.

The bridge rehabilitation cost around $129.3 million. Workers repaired cracks, smoothed the deck surface and updated lighting, historical features and a concrete barrier for safer walk and bike paths. That's a welcome improvement for Larry Daily, who said those paths were cramped before construction began.

"It was a very narrow walkway that had to be shared by pedestrians and bicycles and scooters," he said. "So I'm not too excited about the weather today, but I'm very excited for the bridge."

This is the third time the century-old landmark has been restored. Renovations completed Saturday are expected to extend its life by 50 years.

Next year, the nearby Stone Arch bridge will be closed for similar repairs.

Mayor Jacob Frey helped cut the ribbon reopening the bridge and thanked city and state partners who worked on repairs. Frey said he holds fond memories of walking across the landmark on his first day as mayor and on his first date with his wife. He said the structure will bring more communities together.

"This is connecting people and cities together, and it's making who we are — a better people," Frey said. "This is a Minneapolis emblem. This is a city asset. Thank God it's open again for everyone to use."