Kellogg Boulevard-3rd Street bridge over I-94 in St. Paul closes Monday for three-year construction project

A heavily traveled bridge connecting downtown St. Paul with the city’s East Side will shut down Monday and won’t reopen until 2028.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. Monday in the Union Depot parking lot to kick off the $91 million project to remove the Kellogg Boulevard/3rd Street bridge and replace it with a new one.

It was a decade ago that the structure carrying about 14,000 vehicles a day over Interstate 94 was deemed structurally insufficient, and the city later placed barriers on the outer portions of the bridge deck to funnel traffic to the center lanes.

“After nearly a decade, we are excited to get this bridge project underway thanks to the financial support from our local, state and federal leaders,” said Sean Kershaw, director of St. Paul Public Works. “The new bridge is critical to our regional transportation network. It provides a more reliable connection to St. Paul that improves safety and access for people walking, biking, taking transit or driving.”

When the bridge reopens in three years, it will have two travel lanes in both directions and a concrete barrier on both sides to separate traffic from 12-foot-wide trails to be shared by pedestrians and bicyclists. Intersections near Union Depot and at Mounds Boulevard will be reconstructed to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and vehicles, including bus rapid transit. The new bridge will also feature artist-designed ornamental railings and piers, city officials said.

Officials said rebuilding the longest city-owned bridge will be the largest and most complex public infrastructure project since 1995.

Motorists will be detoured to E. 7th Street during construction, but access to Lowertown businesses, buildings, parking lots, Union Depot and CHS Field will be maintained, city officials said.