Smith Avenue High Bridge

Sweeping across the Mississippi River, the Smith Avenue High Bridge stands tall and proud. It’s not just steel and concrete. It’s a story etched in the St. Paul skyline. The Smith Avenue High Bridge isn’t just a bridge. It’s a testament to the city’s growth and resilience. This bridge we see today, opened in July 1987, replaced an earlier marvel. The original Smith Avenue High Bridge, a wrought-iron Warren deck truss bridge, opened in 1889. It was the brainchild of Mayor Robert A. Smith, who championed its construction to connect the then-isolated blufftop areas to the rest of the city. Imagine horse-drawn carriages traversing its impressive length of 2,770 feet, a feat of engineering for its time. The original bridge, with its 160-foot deck height, offered breathtaking views of the Mississippi. Disaster struck in 1904 when a powerful storm, possibly a tornado with winds up to 180 mph, ripped away five spans of the bridge. The bridge was repaired, but time and the demands of increasing traffic took their toll. By the 1980s, the Smith Avenue High Bridge was showing its age. Inspections revealed irreparable structural problems, leading to weight restrictions and finally its closure in 1984. The old bridge was demolished, but its legacy lived on. Some of the ornamental ironwork from the original structure was incorporated into the design of the new Smith Avenue High Bridge. This ensured a tangible link to the past, a nod to the city’s history. Today, the Smith Avenue High Bridge stands as a vital artery, carrying traffic across the Mississippi. It’s more than just a means of crossing a river. It’s a symbol of St. Paul’s enduring spirit, a connection to a past rebuilt for the future.