(July 28, 2008) Forms for the concrete covers that will protect the bearings on which the bridge rests at the top of the piers.

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(July 22, 2008) Closure pour of the northbound main span - July 16

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(July 22, 2008) Inside the northbound box girder during the closure pour

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(July 22, 2008) Complete northbound main span closure pour

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(July 14, 2008) Installing last pre-cast segments

(July 14, 2008) Aerial view of the main span

(July 14, 2008) Aerial view of the north side paving

(July 07, 2008) Fireworks over bridge

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(July 07, 2008) Crews installing the final pre-cast concrete segments for the northbound span

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(July 07, 2008) Paving span four on north side of bridge

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(June 30, 2008) Paving the highway between University Avenue and Second Street Southeast (the area in the foreground)

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(June 30, 2008) Barge crane installing pre-cast segments for the northbound and southbound spans

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(June 30, 2008) Main span gap

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(June 30, 2008) Grading and other roadwork in preparation for paving the highway from Washington Avenue (the road with cars on it) to the abutment wall on the south end of the bridge (to the right of the area shown).

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(June 23, 2008) The barge 'Big Ben' used to install bridge segments.

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(June 23, 2008) Span being painted.

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(June 23, 2008) The aerial photo shows, from top to bottom, Span 1 on the south bank of the Mississippi, the narrowing gap over the river where the main span is being constructed, Span 3, the northbound lanes of Span 4, a section of the highway yet to be paved, the partially paved Second Street Bridge and more unpaved highway, including the exit ramp to University Avenue on the left.

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(June 16, 2008) Preperations for painting

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(June 16, 2008) Transporting segments

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(June 02, 2008) Jack

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(June 02, 2008) Post-tensioning steel cables

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(May 27, 2008) Unloading from the barge a pre-cast concrete main span segment

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(May 27, 2008) Crane lifting a pre-cast concrete main span segment

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(May 27, 2008) Placing a pre-cast concrete main span segment

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(May 19, 2008) Pouring concrete for the bridge decks on the south side approach spans on the Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge project

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(May 19, 2008) Hauling the pre-cast segments from beds one through four from the casting yard to Bohemian Flats.

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(May 13, 2008) Crews pouring concrete for the road beds for the approach spans on the south side of the river on the Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge project

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(May 13, 2008) Hauling the pre-cast segments from the casting yard to Bohemian Flats.

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(May 05, 2008) Hauling the pre-cast segments from the casting yard to Bohemian Flats.

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Continuing construction of the approach spans on the north side of the river

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Constructing the abutment for the Second Street bridges on the north side of the project

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Cranes used for hauling the pre-cast segments from the casting yard to Bohemian Flats. Pre-cast segments will be loaded onto the barges by Bohemian Blue (the blue crane pictured here) to be transported up river to the bridge site and lifted into place by Big Ben (the red crane)

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Workers are placing rebar and preparing the forms so they can continue pouring concrete

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A main span segment

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Pouring concrete for the first part of the superstructure for the Second Street Bridge on the north side of the river

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Assembling the barge-mounted ringer crane

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North side of construction site as seen from 10th Avenue Bridge on April 2

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Pouring span 1 of superstructure Larger image

South side of construction site as seen from 10th Avenue Bridge Larger image

600-ton capacity ringer crane

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As the weather warms up, the columns are shedding layers like the rest of us. Earlier this week, crews removed the steel forms from columns at Pier 2 southbound and Pier 3 northbound.

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With steel support structures stretching from Abutment 1 ever closer to the south bank of the river and with rebar lining the forms resting on top, crews expect to be ready to begin pouring the concrete for the soffits and stems of the first span of the superstructure before the end of March.

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White post-tensioning ducts
This photo shows a close-up of the white post-tensioning ducts embedded in the precast segments. High-strength tendons will run through these ducts, across the top and bottom of each segment and a hydraulic jack will be used to pull on the tendons and compress the concrete segments tightly together.

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Concrete Crusher
Crews have been using this concrete crusher, set up on I-35W just north of Fourth Street SE, to break up big chunks of the old roadway so that they can be recycled and used for the base of the new roadway.

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Aerial
This aerial photo shows the progress made this past week on erecting the temporary support structures known as "falsework" that will support the forms for the spans of the bridge on the north side of the river.

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Piers 2 and 3
By the end of next week, all of the columns at Piers 2 (pictured above in the foreground), 3 (across the river) and 4 (behind Pier 3) will have reached their full height of 70 feet, marking another major milestone for the I-35W Bridge Project. The last of the concrete for the columns -- at Pier 4 southbound and at Pier 3 northbound -- is scheduled to be poured next week.

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Pier 3 revealed
Crews removed the steel forms from Pier 3 southbound over the weekend, revealing the first look at the arched concrete columns inside. Since it was too cold to leave the columns exposed to the harsh winter air, crews immediately wrapped them in insulating blankets. When the temperature of the concrete and the outside air are within 45 degrees of each other, the blankets can be removed.

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Aerial photo with key elements of the bridge named

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Control room Operator
An operator in the control room at the Cemstone plant in Minneapolis, one of the two local Cemstone plants supplying all of the concrete for the bridge. Approximately one-third of the total concrete needed for the bridge has been poured.

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Piers near completion
The piers grew another 20-30 feet in several locations this past week. Crews also poured the footing for Abutment 5 on Thursday, February 21.

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Construction workers pour it on
Crews are up to their ankles in concrete at the casting yard. Last week, they climbed to the top the 25-foot-high forms set up inside the climate-controlled sheds visible from Washington Avenue to pour the surface of the roadway on the first pre-cast segments for the main span of the bridge.

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Smoothing the roadway surface
The surface of the roadway portion of the first pre-cast segment is smoothed by a worker.

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Forms in place for side spans
On the south bank of the Mississippi, crews have built more of the steel scaffolding known as "falsework." This scaffolding will support the forms for the side spans of the bridge, which extend from the abutment walls on each side of the river to the water's edge. The first of the forms for the side spans are now in place and the first part of the superstructure may be poured by the end of March.

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Last 40 foundation shafts drilled
Crews drilled the last of 40 foundation shafts for the footings of the Second Street Bridge on Wednesday, February 13. They will pour concrete into the footings the week of February 25, after fabricating and placing the rebar cages that will reinforce the shafts.

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View From 10th Avenue Bridge
View of the construction site from the 10th Avenue Bridge.

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Temporary support structures
Temporary support structures known as falsework, shown here, will support the forms for the spans of the bridge on each side of the river. This spring, the superstructure will be 'cast-in-place' by pouring concrete into the forms.

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Open House
Open houses were held recently at the Lutheran Church of Hope and the IDS Center (pictured here). The events generated great interest, questions and feedback. The next open houses will be held in the springtime.

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NorthSide
On the north side of the river, the columns for Pier 3 southbound are 2/3 poured and will be completed the week of February 4th.

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First Segment
On January 31, 2008, crews poured concrete into the form for the first of 120 segments that will form the 504 foot main span over the Mississippi River. This photo shows what the process looked like inside one of the heated enclosures at the casting yard on the unused section of I-35W north of Washington Avenue. Concrete was pumped from the truck parked outside through the long black hose and into the form.

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Night Pour
Night work at the site has included drilling for the 40 shafts that are then filled with concrete. As of January 25, 18 of the shafts are complete.

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Aerial of Pier 3
The yellow stacked forms in this image form the first upright section of Pier 3 southbound and were poured the week of January 21.

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Kiosk
Two touch-screen kiosks will provide a new way to get information. In addition to bridge facts, photos, and other interactive features, the kiosks will include animations of what the finished bridge will look like from a helicopter, a boat, and a car.
The kiosks will make their first public appearances the end of January. You'll be able to see one of them at the open houses on Jan. 29 and 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.at the IDS Center, 80 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. The other kiosk will be stationed at Mill City Museum, 704 S. Second St., Minneapolis. Fourth-grade students from Olson Elementary in Bloomington will get to try it out on their field trip to the museum on Jan. 30.

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Pier 3 Concrete Pour
This Cemstone truck, painted like a baseball and featuring the Minnesota Twins logo, was the first in the line-up of the 140 trucks that supplied the concrete for the footing at Pier 3 (southbound) on the north side of the river (January 14, 2008). The pour began at 7 p.m. and lasted approximately 12 hours.

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Pouring at Pier
This image shows what the January 14 concrete pour looked like from the outside.

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Inside Pier 3
This is what it lookes like from inside pier 3. Notice all of the green rebar providing reinforcement throughout the footing. The black tube is one of the concrete pumps.

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Aerial Photo of Casting Yard
Aerial photo of the casting yard, located along the unused stretch of I-35W just north of Washington Avenue. The first segment will be cast here before the end of January.

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Pier 3 footing
Concrete for the footing at Pier 3 (pictured here) is scheduled for placement on the weekend of January 12 and 13, 2008.

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Heating Sheds
Large heating sheds have been erected in the casting yard to provide a heated environment for the segments as the concrete cures. The sheds have been designed to move along the casting beds as the concrete is placed in the forms. The casting yard is located on the unused stretch of I-35W just north of Washington Avenue.

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Pumping Concrete
The casting operation will be completed by pumping the concrete from a truck outside of the heated enclosures, through an opening in the roof, into the forms, as pictured in this diagram.

Casting Yard
These three-story high forms, built in the casting yard on the unused stretch of I-35W just north of Washington Avenue, will be used to create the concrete segments that will be linked together to form the main span of the bridge. (Photo by Michael Kuchta, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters)

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Construction Sign
The Tenth Avenue Bridge is the best place to view construction activities, and new four-color signs mounted to the railing explain the construction process with text, photos and renderings.

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Drilled Shafts Piers 2, 3, 4 and Abutment 5
Multiple drilled shafts socketed into rock make up the foundations.

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Pile Driving Abutment 1
More than 100 H-piles were pounded some 50 feet into the ground in November 2007 to support the footings of Abutment 1.

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Pouring Concrete
Until early February, 2008, crews will be drilling approximately 100 shafts for Piers 2, 3 4 and Abutment 5. These shafts will be filled with steel reinforcing bars and concrete and will serve as the foundation for the bridge.

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