Bridge Across the Mississippi River

The bridge on Hwy 61 is under repair this summer. We thought we would pass along some info just in case anyone was concerned. Although our B&B is only 10 minutes from Hastings, getting to The Arbor Inn from the north will not be impacted as you turn on Hwy 10 a couple of miles before the Hastings Bridge. If you are coming from the south, you could cross the river in Redwing and take the scenic ride up the Wisconsin side of the Great River Road on Hwy 35.

We hope the following is helpful and will try to update it as we get more information:

Preliminary work to install a platform beneath the deck of the Highway 61 Mississippi River bridge at Hastings will require single lane traffic across the bridge weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Friday, May 2. The temporary platform will be used to support equipment and workers during the maintenance and painting project this year on the bridge. Motorists will encounter delays during the set up as traffic is restricted to a single lane across the bridge controlled by a signal system.
The painting and repair project scheduled on the bridge began Monday, April 14 with the installation of a temporary signal system at Highway 55 and Dakota County Road 42. The signal will smooth traffic flow by improving left-hand turns from Highway 55 onto County Road 42 and from County Road 42 to Highway 55. Repairs also are underway on abutments, piers and beams beneath the south end of the bridge with completion in early May.
Reconstruction of the southbound shoulder of Highway 61 north of the bridge began Monday, April 21. The outside shoulder of the highway is being strengthened to carry emergency vehicles and other authorized traffic that will be allowed to bypass traffic queues during single-lane traffic later in the spring. The shoulder and right lane of southbound Highway 61 will remain closed until the shoulder is rebuilt in early May.
The maintenance and painting project include s painting all steel members of the bridge from below the bridge deck to 10 feet above the deck; repairing the sidewalk, curb and a portion of the deck; replacing expansion joints in the deck, and removing, repairing and reinstalling bearings on several of the piers. Beginning in May, traffic will be restricted to a single lane across the bridge controlled by a signal system until the end of August.
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For More Information on the Hastings Bridge visit the Web site at http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015NvQ5ywr46uZ4E5QYB-7OYvXpbtyMDrKMIeacQgg2VwfgytPiG2UbVg1yxM3H8TQ6jdCZShmIrOUwzjfrsFo2n5HnyBk9CRbAaoyiJzVuHEiFj827HUhENjyDaQ3HsxFDzQ9hDa8oolGVcpt0q7cSz59x2eDijJVRry8PVGpjuY=