The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) says it will begin a $26.2 million construction project on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis next spring.

Work is expected to last from sometime in the spring of 2024 through the spring of 2026.

According to MnDOT, crews will be replacing and repairing rocks and stones as needed in order to improve the bridge’s structural condition and also preserve the bridge for future use. They will also be repointing the mortar on the entire bridge and making any other additional repairs as required.

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, discussions held in 2019 about making bridge repairs estimated work would cost about $13.2 million, however, that estimate has since doubled.

Currently, bicycles and pedestrians use the bridge, which was built between 1881 and 1883, to cross St. Anthony Falls. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board members estimate more than 3,700 pedestrians and 1,700 bicyclists cross it daily.

MnDOT says two of the original 23 spans were replaced by a steel deck truss in 1962. The last passenger train crossed the bridge in 1978, and MnDOT took over as bridge owners in 1992.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the project.