Merriam Street Bridge

Merriam Street Bridge
Merriam Street Bridge from the west
Coordinates	44°59′9″N 93°15′35″W
Carries	Two lanes of Merriam Street
Crosses	East channel of the Mississippi River
Locale	Minneapolis
Maintained by	City of Minneapolis
ID number	27664
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Total length	256.7 feet
Width	34 feet
Longest span	147 feet
Clearance below	14 feet
History
Engineering design by	Andrew Rinker
Opened	1887 as part of the Broadway Avenue Bridge; moved to current location in 1987
Statistics
Daily traffic	1077 vehicles per day
Location

Merriam Street Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the east channel of the Mississippi River between Nicollet Island and the east bank of the river in Minneapolis. The bridge was originally built in 1887 by King Iron Bridge Company as one of the four spans of the Broadway Avenue Bridge. When the Broadway Avenue Bridge was reconstructed in 1987, one span was preserved and moved to Nicollet Island. The truss span is actually decorative; the bridge is supported by a beam from underneath.

The original Broadway Avenue Bridge was one of the fanciest bridges on the Mississippi River. It featured finials on each top corner and a band of scrolls, crosses, and lines between them. The horizontal struts and guard railings used X-shapes as a pattern. Each end of the bridge has a hexagonal cast iron plate embossed with the date and the designer of the bridge. The bridge now serves as a connector between parkland on Nicollet Island and the Saint Anthony Main development on the east bank, allowing opportunities for visitors to stroll across the river.

Gallery

• 
  Plaque above bridge
• 
  Side view, from Nicollet Island

References

• Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.