Bridge 5453
See features of the bridge
History and significance
Bridge 5453 is a five-span, cast-in-place, concrete-slab-span structure constructed in 1938. It carries Union Avenue (Old U.S. Highway 59) over the Otter Tail Valley Railroad (formerly Great Northern Railway) in Fergus Falls in Otter Tail County. The bridge substructures are placed on an approximate 25-degree skew to align parallel to the railroad. Railings are cast-in-place concrete, featuring an open-balustrade design with arched openings.
The Minnesota Highway Department developed a basic design for urban trunk highway bridges that included wide roadways, ornamental railing, sidewalks, and decorative light standards. Bridge 5453 is significant for its aesthetics as applied to a bridge built by a New Deal agency and on a grade separation structure. Additionally, it is significant as an example of the MHD’s design applied to bridges on trunk highways and the aesthetic effort to enhance the railroad corridor. Bridge 5453 is considered a contributing element to the StP&P St. Vincent Extension/ Stem&M/ GN/ BN Railroad Corridor Historic District.
Location
City of Fergus Falls (Otter Tail County)
Latitude, Longitude:
46.28651444, -96.07782576
Bridge features
Ornamental features, including an open-balustrade concrete railing with incised vertical lines and intermediate posts with recessed panels.