Hastings looks to next chapter in its bridge history

As much as Hastings is a river city, it's also a bridge city, where great trusses of steel span the Mississippi River not far from where it drinks up the St. Croix River and continues south.

Old-timers remember the Spiral Bridge, a curlicue affair that wound its way into the riverfront city's downtown until 1950, when an arched titan took its place. Now that titan has seen its day, too, nursed into an extended life by a flurry of repairs this summer.

"Hastings is a bridge community. We've always been proud of our bridges since the Spiral Bridge," said Mayor Paul Hicks.

By the fall of 2010, construction will start on a new four-lane bridge, a vital link between Hastings and the metro area along Hwy. 61. Traffic on the existing two-lane bridge has doubled in 20 years, to about 32,000 daily crossings, and it has become a commuter bottleneck. The crossing at Hastings is the only one on the Mississippi between the Wakota Bridge at South St. Paul and Newport to the north and to the south, the Eisenhower Bridge at Red Wing in Goodhue County.

The new bridge -- estimated to cost from $275 million to $330,000 million -- is the talk of Hastings because it deeply affects people's lives and goes hand-in-hand with the historic downtown district, Hicks said.

It's also important for a city that doesn't fully trust the old bridge because it's "fracture-critical," meaning that if one steel beam or connection breaks, the whole thing could fall. The bridge was one of the lowest-rated river crossings in the Twin Cities region, although MnDOT's repairs of gusset plates and other hazards this summer somewhat eased concern in Hastings that the bridge was unsafe, Hicks said.

The replacement proposals:

• Single arch bridge: The new bridge would be built on the upstream side of the existing bridge. The old bridge then would be demolished. The arch could be constructed upstream and "floated" to the new bridge and lifted into place to limit delays for vehicle and river traffic. The shape and size of the arch bridge is similar to the existing bridge.

• Single arch bridge next to renovated existing bridge: The new bridge would be built on the upstream side of the existing bridge. Once the new bridge opens to traffic, work would begin on a lengthy "rehab" of the old bridge. Eventually northbound traffic would use the renovated bridge and southbound traffic, the new bridge.

• Single cable bridge: This would be built upstream of the existing bridge. Once finished, the old bridge would be removed. This bridge is the tallest of the alternatives and would be about 50 feet taller than the existing bridge. A tower about 150 feet tall would be built for cables to support the bridge. This distinctive "modern" bridge would look different from past bridges in Hastings.

The decision to begin construction of a new bridge over the Mississippi River at Hastings within two years came as a stark departure from MnDOT's previous plan to build the bridge no earlier than 2018. Hicks said he started working with MnDOT in January 2007 to speed up the schedule. "It's the most heavily traveled two-lane bridge in the state," he said.

Hicks credited the turnaround to a coalition of citizens, business interests, politicians, city staff and others concerned about the bridge's deterioration and traffic hazards. He said MnDOT has been receptive to the city's concern.

State bridge inspection reports from 1997 through 2007 indicated that the bridge's physical condition had worsened over the years with corrosion, broken bearings, rotting sidewalks and crumbling concrete.

With a new bridge in the works, Hicks said he appointed a city task force to look at improving the riverfront area at the same time. He's pleased at the flurry of activity.

"We're right on schedule, we're where we need to be," he said.