Hwy. 243 bridge over St. Croix closed to repair a hole

The Hwy. 243 bridge over the St. Croix River between Franconia Township in Minnesota's Chisago County and Osceola, Wis., has been closed while the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) fixes a hole that developed in the bridge decking.

Motorists are urged to use the Hwy. 8 bridge at Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls or the Interstate 94 bridge at Hudson, Wis., to bypass the closed bridge.

Kent Barnard of MnDOT said there are no safety issues or danger in connection with the Hwy. 243 bridge.

"We always err on the side of safety," he said.

MnDOT was notified of the hole sometime after lunch on Thursday.

Bridge engineers were at the scene soon after and are assessing the damage and making a plan to repair it, Barnard said.

The hole is about 2 feet by 3 feet. The rebar is still intact and nothing can fall through the hole, he said.

The damage is not heat-related but more likely just normal wear and tear, MnDOT said.

MnDOT already had plans to make some repairs to the bridge deck and resurface it this fall.

Barnard didn't have a time frame for when the bridge would be repaired but said the entire bridge will be inspected and evaluated before it reopens.

Pat Pheifer • 612-673-7252