I’ve always been fascinated with highways and bridges that have been abandoned; either returned to the elements or reused as bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Here’s a selection of abandoned and repurposed-for-bicycle infrastructure that I’ve found during my travels.
Abandoned Redwood River Bridge, Redwood Falls
Here is an old concrete arch bridge over the Redwood River at the city of Redwood Falls. The new bridge dates to about 1950, so this bridge has obviously been abandoned for some time. It was fenced of when I took these photos and has now been demolished.
Looking west through the chain link fence. Notice the new bridge in the background on the left. Unfortunately I had loaded 800 speed film in my camera in anticipation of another project, so the contrast and grain in these pictures is more than I would have liked.
The bridge is now demolished. Here’s a 2020 view of the approach, showing a new structure to carry the pipes.
The waterfall in the area, note the size of the girls for scale
Abandoned US 52
The first two pictures are from various sections of US 52 between Rochester and the Twin Cities. US 52 has always been an important road. It was paved early on, abeit with extremely narrow lanes (9 foot) by todays standards, and then some of these original sections were bypassed when the expressway was built. These sections were left to provide local access. In the top photo, you used to be able to drive farther, but the snow fence has since gone up, as nothing is beyond. Also note the modern highway in both photos, especially viable in the second.
Old MN 56, Lake Louise State Park
Many early state highways were routed on existing section line roads before more direct routes (often paralleling railroad tracks) were built. This is a section of MN 56 near LeRoy. Many years after the highway was routed off this road, the surrounding area was incorporated into Lake Louise State Park
Today the old road serves primarily as a hiking trail. The grading is still very visible, as are remnants of asphalt, which probably date from after it became a local road. A short section of the road, including an iron bridge, was recycled into an entrance road for the park
Part of the road now serves as the Shooting Star State Trail
Old Bloomington Ferry Bridge Approach Road
In the 1990’s the Bloomington Ferry Bridge was replaced by a freeway, but before that could happen the existing approach road had to be reconstructed to keep it out of the way of the new interchange with MN 13 in order to maintain traffic. The result is an abandoned highway still in pristine condition. The original signs were originally left in place, but most of them have since been stolen
The whole area is in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Closer to the river, the old road was removed except for a narrow strip used as a bike trail, but farther away in this photo it was left as-is. It’s closed off by a lockable gate, still used by wildlife refuge employees, and it has been opened to allow hunters to access the area at least once.
As for the old bridge itself, it was originally going to be maintained as a bicycle crossing, but projected maintenance costs were too high, and so it was demolished and replaced with a new bicycle bridge
Abandoned Lookout Park Wayside
Lookout Park was an old highway wayside on what was then US 169 and US 212 in what is now Eden Prairie. Built in 1938, it is now owned by the Metro Airports Commission. Unfortunately it is in a state of disrepair. Note the crumbling stonework where a plaque used to be. The park made the Minnesota Preservation Alliances list of the 10 most endangered properties of 2001.
Right now no one seems to know what to do with it. It’s historic, so you can’t just sell it to a developer. The Metro Airports Commission certainly has no use for it. It’s no longer on a trunk highway, it’s too remote for a local neighborhood park and too small for a more regionally oriented park.
Abandoned US 61 Winona to Twin Cities
Here’s a stretch of some of the first rural concrete pavement in Minnesota, although covered by blacktop in the foreground, you can see some in the background. It was originally only 8 feet wide, in the unlikely even you met an oncoming motorist one of you had to move onto the shoulder to pass
The Zumbrota Covered Bridge
Originally built in 1869, this covered bridge is the last one in Minnesota. It originally served the stagecoach road between St. Paul and Dubuque. When a new highway bridge was built in 1932, the bridge was moved to the fairgrounds, then in 1970 to a park near the original location. Poor condition and lack of funds prevented it from being moved to the river at that time. Finally in 1997, the bridge was moved to again span the river, this time one block west of the highway bridge, and connects the downtown area to the park as a pedestrian / bicycle crossing. To strengthen the bridge and allow it to span the river, steel beams and a concrete pier were added underneath. In June 1998 the worst flood in memory hit Zumbrota. The waters crested about six inches below the base of the bridge, and completely inundated the park. Had the bridge been left at it’s original location it undoubtedly would have been destroyed as was another historic structure in the park
Here’s a postcard of the bridge in the park. This is how I remember first seeing it
There’s nice plaques on the south side of the bridge
The left plaque reads:
ZUMBROTA COVERED BRIDGE CONSTRUCTED OVER ZUMBRO RIVER IN 1869 COST $5,800. ORIGINAL SITE HIGHWAY 58 ABOUT 1000 FEET FROM PRESENT LOCATION 120 FEET LONG: TOWN LATTICE TRUSS DESIGN PLANS BY A.J. THATCHER CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISED BY E.L. KINGSBURY SERVED AS STAGECOACH ROUTE BETWEEN ST. PAUL AND DUBUQUE TRANSPORTED BY HORSES TO FAIRGROUNDS IN 1932 MOVED TO PRESENT SITE IN 1970 PLACED ON NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES PLAQUE BY ZUMBROTA COVERED BRIDGE SOCIETY
The right plaque reads:
“THE OLD COVERED BRIDGE”
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FINISHED NOVEMBER 1869 THIS BRIDGE SPANS THE TIME FROM THE 19TH TO THE 21ST CENTURY THIS AUTHENTIC 116 FOOT LONG COVERED BRIDGE IS THE LAST IN MINNESOTA. IT WAS MOVED TO THIS LOCATION IN THE CITY OF ZUMBROTA ON MARCH 4, 1997. THE RESTORATION AND RELOCATION OF THIS BRIDGE AS A BEAUTIFUL AND PRACTICAL WAY TO CROSS THE RIVER RESULTED FROM THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF THE CITIZENS OF ZUMBROTA AND THE MEMBERS OF THE COVERED BRIDGE SOCIETY. “IN THS SPIRIT OF RESPECT FOR THE PAST, DETERMINATION AND RESOLVE IN THE PRESENT, AND OPTIMISM AND FAITH IN THE FUTURE.”
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OUR SPECIALTHANKS AND GRATITUDE TO THE FEDERAL AND MINNESOTA DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION, GOODHUE COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT, MINNOWA CONSTRUCTION, INC OF HARMONY, MN AND GOLDSCHMIDT HOUSE MOVERS OF ST. JAMES, MN
Silverdale Bridge
The Silverdale Bridge is a wrought iron truss bridge that was built in 1890 in Sauk Centre. In 1932 it was moved to a very remote area up north, and was the last single lane bridge on the trunk highway system. There was talk about moving it to the Gitch-Gami bicycle trail near Duluth, but instead it was moved to the Gateway bicycle trail near Stillwater in 2010.
Here’s the bridge at it’s original location near Silverdale, MN
Sulphur Lake Bridge, Morton
The Sulphur Lake Bridge (MnDOT Bridge 4667) was built in 1927 to carry MN 19 and US 71 across Sulphur Lake in rural Honner Township, Redwood County near Morton. It’s representative of a camelback through truss bridge, and uncommon type in Minnesota. The main highway was built higher up out of the floodplain years ago, and the bridge served as a local access road until 2010 when it was closed to vehicular traffic. It is now completely fenced off and scheduled for demolition. Although historic it’s now in an advanced state of decay
Sulphur Lake Bridge from the new Road
Holmes Street Bridge, Shakopee
The Holmes Street Bridge is a historic deck truss bridge with classical revival detailing built in 1927 to carry what was then US 169 across the river at Shakopee. After a new bridge was built in the 1980s it was used as a pedestrian structure. It was restored in 2011, and in 2015 connected to the trail network on the north side of the river when the highway bridge to the north was rebuilt as part of a flood mitigation effort.
The Never Used MN 43 Bridge
Back in the 1980’s, MnDOT planned to widen MN 43 to 4 lanes between I-90 and Winona, but the grading and this bridge were all they got done of the new northbound lanes. In the meantime the ghost grade and bridge make a dandy snowmobile and ATV trail.
Old US 12 Bridge at Kerkoven
A semi-abandoned bridge that used to carry US 12. The mine highway was routed onto the railroad flyover and the US 12 bridge is now used for local access to a farm and railroad siding.
Hudson Toll Bridge
The Hudson Toll Bridge between Hudson and Minnesota was built in 1911. After a new bridge (which was incorporated into the interstate system and lasted until the 1990s) was built south of here in 1951, the high bridge was demolished. The causeway and a low level fixed span remained, becoming a park.
This archway formerly welcomed motorists to Hudson. Notice the decent condition of the 75 year old concrete.
Near the end of the causeway, at the wide spot where the toll house used to be, is a public beach. Had this been a summer weekend there would have been a lot more people here.
Beyond the beach, all that is left of the old bridge is these concrete piers.
Overview of the causeway from the Wisconsin shore, looking southwest. You can see the extant fixed span on through the tree on the left, and the beach at the right. The Minnesota shore is in the background, and it blends in with the trees on the causeway, giving it the illusion of going all the way across.
The bridge as it looked in 1917. Note the toll house where the bridge meets the causeway at right.
