River traffic to be closed for Lowry Ave. bridgework

Workers building the Lowry Avenue Bridge in north Minneapolis will mark a major milestone Wednesday.

This stretch of the Mississippi River will be closed for 24 hours beginning 7 a.m. Wednesday to boats as crews lift the first of two edge girders into place.

The 155-foot long pieces of reinforced concrete connect from the sides of the bridge, and will eventually support its deck.

Workers on Wednesday will jack the million-pound girder into place on the north side of the bridge. Project Engineer Paul Backer said.

"These edge girders will be lowered onto barges, which is a very difficult maneuver," he said. "And the river levels have dropped somewhat, so we have to add additional structural supports because of that difficulty of floating on the water."

The southern edge girder will be installed next week.

Work began on the new Lowry Avenue Bridge early last year. It's scheduled to be finished late next summer.