Plymouth Avenue Bridge Reopens To Traffic Monday

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The drive between north and northeast Minneapolis will get a lot easier on Monday once the Plymouth Avenue bridge reopens.

The welcomed reopening comes two years after inspectors closed it down after noticing about a quarter of the cables that hold the concrete girders together were corroded. Although the bridge will reopen Monday, traffic will be limited to a single lane for the next month.

Before its closure, the bridge carried more than 14,000 vehicles a day.

Motorists who use Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis are in for a headache Monday morning, though, as the road will be closed in both directions between 26th and Lake Streets in south Minneapolis. The city of Minneapolis shut it down on Friday so Xcel Energy crews could place high-voltage transmission lines under the street.

Detours are posted, and barricades will be up until Oct. 22.