Franklin Avenue, 3rd Avenue & 10th Avenue Bridge Projects

[twincitizen]

The city just released this presentation on the repairs planned for the historic Franklin Avenue bridge over the Mississippi: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 113847.pdf

It looks like a pretty extensive rehabilitation is planned, including some restoration of elements that were removed or altered in the 1970 rehab. The bridge is on the national historic register.

[mister.shoes]

I like a lot of the changes they're going to make to give a nod to the historic/original design. However, once you get to the bottom of that PDF and see the original design juxtaposed with the rendering of the rehab and the results of the 1970 rehab, you realize just how much the original was ruined by the reduction in the number/mass of the spandrel columns. The airiness of the space between the arches and the deck looks cheap and blah compared to the original. Alas.

Otherwise, I like what they're doing with this project. The new deck layout looks to be a huge improvement, for one.

[David Greene]

This is a pretty cool project. I wish they would add the missing spandrels and keep the historic piers, though.

[MNdible]

Yeah, this is such a handsome bridge -- it's great to see some attention and TLC paid to it. I'm really not sure that building in superfluous spandrels is a good use of limited resources, so I think the options that they're proposing make a lot of sense.

[FISHMANPET]

Why did we rip out all those nice details and replace them with generic junk back in the 70s? Was 50 years old not old enough to look good? Was it cost? Did we really think we were improving the aesthetics of it? I can understand not putting in as many spandrels, because those were probably expensive, but why cheap out on railing and light fixtures?

[MNdible]

I actually think the original concrete railings look kind of clunky and don't really match the elegance of the rest of the bridge, but I guess they're historic so...

[eazydp]

I think that looks great. Easy cost saving measure would be to leave the old piers. Kind of cute, but I have no idea about the environmental and navigation impacts they have.

Anyone have insights on if/when this would happen? It would have a big impact on my bike ride and car ride to work as I normally take that route.

[twincitizen]

Open house next Monday: http://www.hennepin.us/portal/site/Henn ... fe4689RCRD

Found elsewhere on Henn Co website: It will be a two year job, beginning Fall 2014.

[seanrichardryan]

http://finance-commerce.com/transit/201 ... g-forward/

Anyone notice this going before the council last Friday?

[mattaudio]

I think there was discussion in another thread when it was noticed in the T&PW agenda, but I cannot remember which one.

[seanrichardryan]

Page 23- http://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups ... 121313.pdf

T&PW - Your Committee, having under consideration the rehabilitation of the Franklin Ave Bridge
(CSAH 5) over the Mississippi River (historic Cappelen Memorial Bridge), now recommends
approval of Layout No 01, dated 01/17/2014, and approval of full bridge closure for up to four (4)
months during the rehabilitation project.

Your Committee further recommends that Public Works staff be directed to work with Hennepin
County staff and the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee to develop a safe and convenient
connection for eastbound bicyclists on Franklin Ave to the bike lanes on northbound 27th Ave SE.


On roll call, the result was:
Ayes: Reich, Frey, Yang, Warsame, Goodman, Glidden, Cano, Bender, Quincy, A. Johnson,
Palmisano, President Johnson (12)
Noes: (0)
Absent: Gordon (1)
The report was adopted

Good thing I picked through that or I would have missed this little gem on page 39-

Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by The City Council of The City of Minneapolis:
That Thursday, March 13, 2014, be and hereby is declared “WORLD KIDNEY DAY” in the City of
Minneapolis. In making this declaration, the City calls the attention of citizens to observe the
commendable work of health activists and professionals to combat, treat, and prevent chronic
kidney disease in the City of Minneapolis, the State of Minnesota, and the United States of America.
Adopted.

[seanrichardryan]

I don't think this was previously mentioned; it's being designed with a protected cycle-track.

http://www.hennepin.us/~/media/hennepin ... %20end.pdf

http://www.hennepin.us/~/media/hennepin ... ection.pdf

[Mdcastle]

In regards to the "what were they thinking in the 1970s" comment, it goes along the lines of my earlier thoughts that architecture goes in cycles of about a generation. The first generation builds it, the second generation uses it even though it's not the "in"thing anymore, no use replacing 25 year old infrastructure, the third generation goes to actively hating it and tears down a lot of it, beside the hatred this is the point also where it would cost real money to keep it servicable, the 4th generation thinks the 3rd are civic vandals and preserves and cherishes whatever is left. Most of the building in the Gateway fell during the third generation- why put money into saving "ugly stone monsters" when we can have sleek glass concrete and steel. Now were at the point where we're rapidly tearing down the mid-century modern stuff of that generation. The Cappelen bridge renovation would also be third generation- they probably thought the ornate railing was ugly, or at least not the money to preserve. And the fad for making new fake history streetlights hadn't started yet, so they couldn't order something that looked more historic. Ironically the mid-century modern lights on the parkways are now out of production so they have to replace them with fake-history lights since that's what's available.

Nicollet Mall is interesting exception since we only got 25 years out of the first iteration, and now 25 years out of the second. Do they keep remodeling it because being a street it wears out faster than a building, or because it's so visable every generation wants to stamp it's presence on it?

[Wedgeguy]

Mdcastle, your last paragraph has a lot of potential questions that I'd like to hear others feelings about. At this point I'll take some time to think about it. But your first paragraph is dead on as to what the generations have done in the past and how we treat things.

[mplser]

I'm glad they are doing the bike lanes right on this bridge, unlike the 3rd ave bridge where they squeezed a bike lane on the wrong side of a jersey barrier next to speeding traffic.

[David Greene]

Ironically the mid-century modern lights on the parkways are now out of production so they have to replace them with fake-history lights since that's what's available.

I absolutely love those lights and hate it every time a set gets replaced. I have very fond memories of bike rides my with parents along Victory Memorial. And doing the exercise stations along the parkways. I cried when those got removed.

[Didier]

This looks good. I like the new bike-sidewalk configuration, which mimics the river paths. I am always baffled by how many cyclists ride on the narrow sidewalk when there is a wide bike lane right there, and the new design addresses that. Also, the current bike lane is a really weird use of space. Why is there a big space between the bike lane and the sidewalk?

Not directly related, but it would help everything if the five-way intersection on the east side used blinking red lights during off periods. The red lights there are some of the longest in the city and most of the time there is hardly any traffic.

[seanrichardryan]

Uh oh.53% higher.

http://finance-commerce.com/2014/12/sti ... dge-rehab/

[Aville_37]

http://www.startribune.com/local/minnea ... 18861.html

Repairs to 3 historic bridges. The article mentions that cost estimates for the Franklin Avenue Bridge includes pedestrian lighting. I plan to write to the engineer for the 3rd Avenue Bridge about incorporating historic pedestrian lighting back onto the 3rd Avenue Bridge as well.

[mplser]

I hope that 3rd and 10th avenues will have a barrier of some sort put up at the edge of the bike lane. They are scary as-is