The previous bridge at this location was the first of only three major tied-arch bridges to be constructed in Minnesota (the others were Cedar Avenue Bridge and the Bong Bridge, both built in the early 1980s.)
The old Wakota Bridge was built as one of the first segments of Interstate 494.
The  bridge was dismantled in the fall of 2006 in order to make way for the future eastbound bridge.
Temporary piers were built, then the old bridge was cut into manageable pieces which were lowered to waiting barges and hauled away.
The previous bridge at this location was the first of only three major tied-arch bridges to be constructed in Minnesota (the others were Cedar Avenue Bridge and the Bong Bridge, both built in the early 1980s.) The old Wakota Bridge was built as one of the first segments of Interstate 494. The  bridge was dismantled in the fall of 2006 in order to make way for the future eastbound bridge. Temporary piers were built, then the old bridge was cut into manageable pieces which were lowered to waiting barges and hauled away.
Wakota Bridge