The full length of Minneapolis’ Stone Arch Bridge is set to reopen to the public Aug. 9 following more than a year of repairs.
The bridge, a popular pedestrian link across the Mississippi River between downtown Minneapolis and the St. Anthony Main area, has been closed in halved sections since spring 2024 for an upgrade.
Its Aug. 9 reopening comes more than two months ahead of schedule, according to Kevin Walker, a spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation.
“The workers have done a fantastic job,” he said.
The bridge will reopen with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Father Hennepin Bluff Park Bandstand. Food trucks, live entertainment and activities for kids will also be on hand, Walker said.
The northern half of the bridge closed in April 2024 to begin the $38.5 million project to improve its structural condition, according to MnDOT. That half reopened, and the southern half then closed the following December.
The James J. Hill Stone Arch Bridge was built between 1881 and 1883 to carry the Minneapolis Union Railroad over the Mississippi River. Railroad use of the bridge ended in 1982, before it was converted for pedestrians.
Built of limestone, the bridge is a designated National Historic Engineering Landmark.
