PaulRivers

I looked into both those locations, and was encouraged by this entry on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_Avenue_Bridge_(Minnesota_River)
"The original Old Cedar Avenue Bridge was built in 1890 and carried automobile traffic into the 1990s. The narrow span continued operation as a bicycle trail until 2002 when it was deemed too unsafe. In 2008, $2 million in state funding was approved to reopen the bridge to bicyclists and pedestrians."

So I drove down there to see over lunch. But sadly, this supposed funding doesn't seem to have gone anywhere as the old bridge that used to be a bike path down there is still very, very closed with planks deliberately pulled out at the start, big signs, and fencing covering the entire entrance to keep people out. :-(

The highway bridge itself *might* be passable - there appears to be a shoulder wide enough for an extra lane of traffic on both sides, going both ways, for the entire length of the bridge:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...6376&encType=1
(I also saw it in person). However, the wikipeida entry says "The modern bridge has three lanes in each direction, in addition to a shoulder which is often used by buses to get past traffic slowdowns."

So I don't know that you would want to be biking on the should when a bus comes along. Plus, I think I'd rather bike 7 miles out of my way every day rather than going through the nerve racking experience of biking along side 55-70mph highway traffic.

Seems like getting on and off the bridge would be difficult, though not impossible, to as there are freeway ramps near each end of the bridge with a tiny shoulder for them. I suppose it would possible to bike on the grass next to it if you're really determined.


I also took the time the check out the 35w bridge you mentioned, which sadly also does not have a ped/bike lane built into the bridge.

It's also completely and utterly impassible on bike. Southbound at least, there is absolutely no shoulder over the bridge. None. Sat photos show a shoulder, but evidentally it's been redone because there's no should there now, instead there's one more lane for traffic. The wikipedia page for the bridge mentions something about expanding the lanes on the bridge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_M...a_River_bridge

Northbound there's still a shoulder, but not only would you have even worse on/off ramp issues, not to mention it being illegal to ride on an interstate highway, and I saw constructions crews messing with signs so I would wonder if they're going to expand to an extra northbound lane over the bridge where the shoulder is now.


It appears that if you want to cross the Minnesota river on bike on a decent bike route, you have to either use the 494 bridge which has a separated ped/bike lane built into it, or go all the way west nearly to 169 south where there's a bike bridge built over the river:
http://www.bing.com/maps/default.asp...3929&encType=1

...though that isn't great either, as part of the path on the south side of the river floods when the river gets to high in the spring.

Dang it, now I'm all bummed!

To people reading this, has anyone tried actually biking over the hwy 77 / Cedar Ave bridge?