The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis will be off-limits overnight during the July 4th holiday weekend.
Minneapolis Park Board shortens Stone Arch Bridge closures during July 4th weekend
Community members had raised concerns about what the overnight closures would mean for people attending events downtown.
June 29, 2023 at 10:45PM
![Forrest Morey, left, and Isabella Shelton, right, take in the warm weather on scooters over the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, Minn., on Monday, June 20, 2022. ] Elizabeth Flores • liz.flores@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GGA2L6MI462U25ARJ5RQWFRBIM.jpg?&w=712)
Starting Friday, the bridge will be blocked off from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. and will reopen fully July 5, according to an announcement from the Minneapolis Park Board. The bridge closure, originally scheduled from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., is intended to address safety concerns and prevent threats to general public safety in the parks and streets.
"Last year, large Fourth of July gatherings in riverfront parks and neighborhoods created unsafe, chaotic situations," Dawn Sommers, director of communications and marketing for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, said in a written statement Wednesday. "This proactive measure will help park staff and public safety agencies better manage crowds and safety during a very busy time for riverfront parks and neighborhoods."
The Park Board announced the shortened closures Thursday, "in response to community requests," according to a news release.
Sommers said the board is working to notify nearby residents so they can make alternate transportation plans.
The Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association released a letter Wednesday addressed to City Council Member Michael Rainville and Park Commissioner Billy Menz expressing concerns about the bridge closure. The letter noted that residents and visitors would be using the bridge to return from shows at the Guthrie Theatre, a Twins game at Target Field and from the Taste of Minnesota,
Vic Thorstenson, president of the Marcy-Holmes Neighborhood Association, said the shortened closure doesn't address the group's concerns because they don't want the bridge to close at all.
Thorstenson said the majority of the neighborhood — which borders the University of Minnesota campus — is young people who may work late in downtown Minneapolis and depend on the bridge to get home.
"It's not nearly good enough," Thorstenson said. "I mean, it's an inch in the right direction, but it's almost ineffectual."
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