Merriam Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
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, Minnesota
. 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 good opportunities for visitors to stroll across the river.
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that spans the east channel of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
between Nicollet Island
Nicollet Island
Nicollet Island is an island in the Mississippi River just north of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, named for cartographer, Joseph Nicollet. DeLaSalle High School and the Nicollet Island Inn are located there, as well as three multi-family residential buildings and twenty-two restored...
and the east bank of the river in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. The bridge was originally built in 1887 by King Iron Bridge Company as one of the four spans of the Broadway Avenue Bridge
Broadway Avenue Bridge
Broadway Avenue Bridge is a girder bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1987 and was designed by Norman C. Davis and Shawn Pierson Bruns of VanDoren-Hazard-Stallings. The bridge has a rather streamlined shape, but its piers are more ornate...
. When the Broadway Avenue Bridge was reconstructed in 1987, one span was preserved and moved to Nicollet Island
Nicollet Island
Nicollet Island is an island in the Mississippi River just north of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, named for cartographer, Joseph Nicollet. DeLaSalle High School and the Nicollet Island Inn are located there, as well as three multi-family residential buildings and twenty-two restored...
. 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
Saint Anthony Main
Saint Anthony Main is a shopping and office complex located on Main Street in the Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood of Southeast Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Commonly the area is associated with Northeast, Minneapolis as it is actually northeast of downtown on the east side of...
development on the east bank, allowing good opportunities for visitors to stroll across the river.