New Winona Bridge Opens

Winona, MN (KROC AM News) - The new bridge over the Mississippi River in Winona opened to traffic Saturday after an official dedication ceremony.

Winona residents who attended the 1942 dedication of the current Winona Bridge were invited to the event to be honored.

The older bridge was closed for a week in 2008 after inspectors found problems similar to those that caused the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis the year before. That eventually led to the decision to build a new bridge in Winona, next to the older structure.

Work on the new $80-million bridge began in the summer of 2014  

MNDOT will now close the older bridge, which will be rehabilitated and should re-open either late 2019 or early 2020.

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