Jay Cooke's Swinging Bridge Due Back By Fall

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A replacement for the historic swinging bridge at Jay Cooke State Park should be in place just in time for the fall color season.

The pedestrian bridge was destroyed by the sudden flooding that racked the Duluth area and northern Minnesota last June. It was the second time the bridge, built in the early 1920s, was wiped out by high water on the St. Louis River.

Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Cheri Zeppelin says construction is expected to start in May and finish between late August and late September.

The rebuilt bridge will be more historically accurate, replacing metal hand rails installed in 1950 with log rails and stiles that were a feature of the 1934 bridge.

The cost is being covered by $1.5 million in federal disaster aid.

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