Fourth Street NW bridge demolition delayed, Oakland Avenue bridge to reopen soon – Austin Daily Herald

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Traffic drives over the Fourth Street NW bridge on Interstate 90 Wednesday afternoon. Demolition work that was slated for this weekend has been pushed back to early November because of utility infrastructure that hasn’t been removed yet. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Minnesota Department of Transportation Crews are nearing the end of the Oakland Avenue bridge project with hopes it will reopen in the next few days. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Demolition work that was expected to take place this weekend on the Fourth Street NW bridge over Interstate-90 has been pushed back a few weeks, while the Oakland Avenue bridge is expected to open in the coming days.

According to Austin City Engineer Steven Lang, the Minnesota Department of Transportation alerted him to the delay and explained that it was due to utility infrastructure that had yet to be removed from beneath the bridge.

Oftentimes, companies will hang infrastructure beneath the bridge, which can include water mains, gas mains, electric lines and telecommunications lines.

In August of 2023, MnDOT gave notice to utility companies about the planned demolition and gave them until March of this year to remove the utilities. 

According to the notice sent to Lang, the telecommunications company Lumen did not meet the deadline and will not have their lines relocated until Oct. 31 and as such, demolition of the bridge can’t begin until sometime after Nov. 1.

No reason was given for the delay in relocating the lines, but the project will now likely be delayed multiple weeks.

During demolition, MnDOT will close the bridge and I-90 so work could progress.

According to Michael Dougherty, director of Communications and Public Engagement for District 6, information will be released at a later date as to when the demolition will now take place.

Once demolition is completed, then interstate traffic will be diverted up and then down the exit and entrance ramps.

In preparation of the bridge construction, the city has placed detour signs and has activated temporary lights on 14th Street at Fourth Avenue NW and Eighth Avenue NW.

The signal lights will allow for gaps in the traffic flow, which is expected to increase dramatically during the detour as well as ease the flow through the intersection. Traffic volumes are expected to more than double during the duration of the detour from around 13,000 vehicles per day to 28,100 vpd.

Once completed, the bridge project on Fourth Street will have replaced the current interchange, create safer walkway crossings of the interstate and improve traffic flow.

Meanwhile, the Oakland Avenue bridge project is nearing completion with MnDOT expected to shut down traffic on both eastbound and westbound lanes starting at 7 p.m. Thursday night and going through to 6 a.m. Friday morning so that crews can remove bridge decking materials over the highway.

Traffic will be detoured using the ramps. 

Dougherty said the bridge is anticipated to open later in the day on Friday with temporary striping and signage in place.

I-90 will remain single-lane in both directions for a few more weeks as crews begin final cleanup work through to the end of the month. Motorists should be on the look-out for flaggers during this time. 

Dougherty also said that crews will be setting the first beams on the eastbound I-90 bridge over the Cedar River this Saturday, with more beam settings being placed next week. The hope is to get the deck poured this month still, after that work is completed.

A little further east, crews have been painting the Sixth Street Northwest bridge and that bridge will reopen along with the exits once the Cedar River bridge is completed.