10th Avenue Bridge

10th Avenue Bridge
The 10th Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis
Coordinates44°58′42″N 93°14′38″W / 44.9784°N 93.2438°W / 44.9784; -93.2438
CarriesFour lanes of automobile traffic
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleMinneapolis, Minnesota
Maintained byMinneapolis
ID number2796[1]
Characteristics
DesignConcrete rib deck-arch bridge
Total length2,175 feet (663 m)
Width68 feet (21 m)
Longest span266 feet (81 m)
Clearance below101 feet (31 m)
History
Opened1929
Location
Map
Cedar Avenue Bridge
10th Avenue Bridge is located in Minnesota
10th Avenue Bridge
10th Avenue Bridge is located in the United States
10th Avenue Bridge
LocationTenth Ave. over Mississippi River, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Coordinates44°58′42″N 93°14′38″W / 44.9784°N 93.2438°W / 44.9784; -93.2438
Area4 acres (1.6 ha)
Built1929 (1929)[3]
ArchitectOustad, Kristoffer Olsen
Architectural styleReinforced-concrete bridge
MPSReinforced-Concrete Highway Bridges in Minnesota MPS
NRHP reference No.89001845[2]
Added to NRHPNovember 6, 1989


The 10th Avenue Bridge crosses the Mississippi River near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and also in proximity to the University of Minnesota.[4][5] The bridge was historically referred to as the Cedar Avenue Bridge in the days prior to the construction of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge when it connected to Cedar Ave.[6] The bridge connects 10th Avenue Southeast, on the east side of the Mississippi River, to 19th Avenue South on the west side. The Seven Corners area of the Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis neighborhood is at the southern end of the bridge. The downstream end of the lower Saint Anthony Falls lock and dam extends under the bridge. The historic Southeast Steam Plant is also located nearby.

The bridge is considered the crowning achievement of Minneapolis city engineer Kristoffer Olsen Oustad, who was one of four prominent Norwegian-American men who designed major structures in the region.[7][8]

  1. ^ 10th Ave. bridge and water main project. City of Minneapolis, 2019
  2. ^ "National Register Information System – (#89001845)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Engineering News-Record. July 10, 1930.
  4. ^ Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
  5. ^ Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff - Tenth Avenue Bridge. Engineering Report. N.p.: Minnesota Department of Highways, 1968. Copy in MNDOT file for bridge 2796.
  6. ^ Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)Local Historic Bridge Report- Abridged, Bridge Number:2796. State of Minnesota Department of Transportation, LHB, Mead & Hunt. September 2014
  7. ^ (1996). Minnesota's Historic Bridges: Cedar Avenue Bridge. Archived 2005-03-12 at the Wayback Machine Minnesota Historical Society.
  8. ^ Bjork, Kenneth - Saga in Steel and Concrete: Norwegian Engineers in America. Northfield, Minn.: Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1947.