The Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, was the model for the Washington Avenue Bridge. Photo: AP via The Guardian

The 14th-century Italian bridge that inspired it has withstood the ravages of time, World War II and a 1966 flood, but the 42-year-old Washington Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis might not be strong enough to hold up pedestrians, Hennepin County officials decided last week.

That’s after engineers at URS Corp. started work on readying the Washington Avenue Bridge to carry trains running along the planned Central Corridor line between Minneapolis and St. Paul. It’s widely expected that the bridge will need beefing up to support new rail traffic, but the necessity for remedial work to support existing pedestrian and bicycle traffic came as a surprise.

The county restricted walking and biking to the sheltered structure that runs down the center of the bridge’s upper level — only days before the start of the University of Minnesota’s fall semester, as crowds of students begin to cross the bridge on foot or bike to travel between the university’s East Bank and West Bank Minneapolis campuses.

Motor vehicle traffic on the bridge’s lower level wasn’t affected.

The move follows a string of bridge failures and closings in Minnesota over the past year. Most recently, bike and pedestrian traffic was forced to blend atop the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis when the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board let the Red Bull energy drink company block the bike lanes along the bridge’s middle portion with 25 eight-foot cubes for most of July as part of a marketing event, with several minor injuries reported due to collisions.

If URS has a familiar ring, it may be because the firm conducted inspections of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Preliminary results of reviews of the I-35W bridge collapse have revealed flaws not caught by those reviews, though the firm initially pressed MnDOT to approve extensive repair work.

Work to make the Washington Avenue Bridge strong enough to support people walking or riding bikes along its edges will continue well into next year. Temporary bike lanes under the overhanging eaves of the bridge’s upper-level sheltered walkway are now under construction.

The Lowry bridge, which crosses over the Mississippi River, is classified as a “minor urban arterial,” and listed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation as “fracture critical.” According to the MnDOT website, “fracture critical” is defined as a bridge with “steel superstructure with load (tension) carrying members arranged in a manner in which if one fails, the bridge could collapse. …The classification of fracture critical does not mean the bridge is inherently unsafe.”

Starting earlier this week, the bridge has been closed during daylight hours while inspectors check for deficiencies. MnDOT has directed that all bridges on the list must be inspected by Dec. 1.

The bridge was slated to be replaced in 2009, but lack of transportation repair funding has made the replacement uncertain.

One end of the Lowry bridge is in state Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller’s district. Pogemiller said, “This is a bridge that has been in trouble for quite a few years. I think Hennepin County has been trying to move this up the list of problem bridges because there was a shift in one of the supports noticed a year or two ago. It’s got big problems, and it needs to be replaced, the entire bridge.”

When the Monitor asked Pogemiller about replacing the bridge, he replied that the Legislature would like it replaced. “There’s been planning, there’s been some design done, and they’ve just been trying to come up with the funds to do it,” he said. “The funding’s not committed. We put in some money last year at the state level to proceed with the planning, but they’re basically waiting for both the state and federal commitment to try to get the bridge fixed.”

Pogemiller called on Gov. Tim Pawlenty to sign a transportation bill, the last two of which he vetoed. “This is just one example of any number of bridges around the state that need help,” Pogemiller said.

Minnesota Monitor will continue taking a weekly look at these bridges.  If you have feedback on this or any other bridges on the list, please contact us at tips@minnesotamonitor.com.

The council voted 5-2 against developer Jerry Trooien’s rezoning request to allow a proposed $1 billion dollar mixed-use retail and residential development on the west side of the Mississippi River, just opposite from downtown St. Paul.

When asked what his next move would be after the meeting, Trooien said, “I’m not going to do anything. Consistent with what I’ve said is, we don’t have another plan.”Early in the meeting, a representative of the Planning Commission recommended against “green-lighting” the project. The Planning Commission had concerns that the project would “place an excessive burden on the area,” increasing traffic and public safety concerns. The project also would be detrimental to the future development of other businesses in the area, the representative  said.

During the public hearing, supporters emphasized the jobs and revenue the project would create, and denied that it would threaten the vitality of nearby downtown St. Paul or that increased foot traffic would require an additional police presence.

Opponents reiterated earlier objections that the upscale project was “not intended for everyone to use and enjoy” and that the high-rise buildings would impede the view of the river.

Council Member Dave Thune, who represents the ward where the project was planned, introduced a motion to reject the rezoning request. While all council members expressed sympathy for the goals of the Bridges project to improve the riverfront, Lee Helgen, Kathy Lantry, Pat Harris, Jay Benanav and Thune voted against the request. Members Dan Bostrom and Debbie Montogomery voted in favor.

Related: Guest Post: Why St. Paul’s “Bridges” Project Matters by Diane Gerth

It’s been said that all politics is local, and there isn’t much that gets more local than land use planning in St. Paul.  So I’m not surprised when people’s eyes glaze over and they try to exit the conversation when the subject of Jerry Trooien’s mega-project “The Bridges of St. Paul” comes up in casual conversation.  “Oh, it’s one of those St. Paul things,” is the usual response of those not quick enough to know to slip away.

But the project does matter.

It matters if we want to think about how and why American cities, especially rust belt cities, deal with the changes in land use and the future and vibrancy of our center cities.  It matters if we want those decisions about public space and public money to be made by people who aren’t just out to make a buck.  It matters if we want the tools of democracy to function without interference by those with the cash to control them.

For the uninitiated, the “Bridges of Saint Paul” is a large project proposed to be built directly across the Mississippi river from St. Paul’s struggling downtown.  Consisting of luxury hotel and condominium space, a retail shopping mall and a rather unconventional plan for a museum devoted to mythology, it’s a huge real estate plan being pushed by a developer with more money than sense.

It’s also a project completely out of step with the long-term goals that city, state and federal agencies have for that segment of the river.  It is anticipated to need a public subsidy by way of tax incremental financing of at least $125 million, no small sum.  It is being promoted by a developer who is so completely sure of his personal vision for his project that he refuses compromise, despite massive public opposition to its scale and design.

The approval or disapproval of this plan matters for other reasons as well.  While any project needs to be evaluated on its own merits, the history here is one of a developer who has used his money to subvert democratic processes on many levels.  One neighborhood-based group found its Board of Directors taken over by a slate sponsored by the developer using loopholes in the group’s bylaws.  At least one vocal opponent found to his surprise that his photo was placed in a full-page advertisement with a quote praising the project.  There have been allegations of strong-arm tactics used by people carrying petitions door-to-door.  Meetings aimed at seeking compromise have been disrupted by hecklers in the audience who are paid staff of the developer.  The divisions that have been intentionally created in the surrounding community at the hands of a bully who consistently rejects collaboration will take years to heal.

The West Side flats in Saint Paul is a site long due for improvement.  But Saint Paul, like every other city facing such challenges, shouldn’t have to say yes to a proposal that is opposed by virtually every environmental, civic, governmental, neighborhood and business organization save for the Chamber of Commerce and those controlled by the developer.

The redevelopment of our former industrial lands is crucial to cities beyond Saint Paul.  But it matters that development takes place by the hands of our elected leaders and the populations they serve working with private interests.  What we do on the West Side Flats is important, but it’s equally important how we do it.

Diane Gerth is a resident of St. Paul, has served as President of the West Seventh/Fort Road, and was an appointee to the Tri-District Council that attempted to seek compromise with Bridges developer JLT Group, Inc.

The attendees, who were more casual and less favorable to Trooien’s JLT firm, asked about traffic, public space, tax-increment financing and the West Side Flats Master Plan. One questioner commented, “What is being proposed is not like Paris; it’s much more Orlando — a theme park.”

While a few of the attendees’ questions were answered,  WSCO members postponed serious back-and-forth discussion until a promised future date — details for which haven’t been announced.

City planner Lucy Thompson spoke about each of the plans for the area and handed out copies of many of them. (Many city plans can be found here.)

The next meetings will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 15, 21 and 29, and June 4 and 12 at the Wellstone Center .

The Money

Developer Jerry Trooien still fully intends to request $125 million in TIF funds despite the city of St. Paul’s early denials of the money.

TIF, or tax-increment financing, is a statewide financing tool for urban redevelopment projects. The additional property tax revenue  generated from an improvement on a piece of land can then be used for a community benefit (parking ramps, for example, would be among parts of the Bridges project that would be built with TIF money). The city wouldn’t see any of what the increased property tax would be until the time period (20 years proposed in this case) is up.

In the final session of a four-meeting series, developer Jerry Trooien talked extensively about TIF. He said, “If you don’t do the development, if you don’t create the revenue, you don’t get the money.” He repeatedly said that the money would only come out of the land and would not take money out of other areas of the city.

The History

One of the most-talked-about problems with the project is the view. That view is now one of Preservation Alliance’s 10 most endangered places in Minnesota.

Trooien says about the question of view, “Whose view and from where?” The Preservation Alliance points to the Mississippi River vista as seen from Mounds Park in St. Paul. Concerned citizens have been talking about the multiple spires that will poke their way into the skyline.

This is the first time a landscape view has found its way onto the list. The controversy of the project undoubtedly played a role in that decision. “We support development on the West Side if the design is consistent with zoning guidelines,” said Bonnie McDonald, director of Preservation Alliance. “But we’re opposed to the scale of the Bridges and how the design would alter both the cultural and natural landscape.”

The Meetings

The Bridges project has been a great boon to anyone who really enjoys meetings. From the now defunct Tri-Council to the Zoning and Planning Committees to the WSCO annual meeting to the information sessions that just wrapped up and now — and certainly not finally — onto the WSCO community engagement sessions, meeting hawks can get their fix from this project’s process.

WSCO is kicking off the first of six meetings Monday night. The meetings are supposed to help gather more information about the Bridges, the site and the feel of the community. They will cover topics including development plans for the area, environmental considerations, zoning, traffic and economic sustainability. From an hour to an hour and a half is set aside at every meeting for JLT Inc., Trooien’s company, to present. Each meeting will also allow an hour for other presenters, including the city of St. Paul, the Riverfront Development Corp., the DNR and the Met Council. Finally, each meeting will have some time for questions.

The meetings will be held at the Wellstone Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 7, 15, 21 and 29 and June 4 and 12.

Rick Hill, who works with the project’s retail space, said he expects six or seven restaurants and a total of 75 retail shops to eventually fill the space about half will be national chains.  The project will include 400,000 square feet of retail space. Hill and Trooien both talked about the project filling a gap and bringing in money, denying that it would cause trouble for downtown businesses, office spaces or hotels. Trooien said, “This is the first time in the 150 years in the city that you’ll have a real retail project.”

Paul Wisherman with Westin Hotels spoke extensively about the proposed hotel and denied that it would take business away from the Crowne Plaza and Radisson Hotels in downtown. He also said that JLT Inc, Trooien’s company, would subsidize the hotel and it would not be asking the city of St. Paul for subsidies on the hotel. JLT Inc. does still intend to request TIF funds, despite a letter from the St. Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development saying the project would not qualify.

Trooien also talked about the Mississippi River: “Get in a helicopter and fly around the Twin Cities. This is the only place in the Twin Cities to get people to the river.”  He focused on the project’s plan for extensive parking as a key to getting people to the river. “Very few people from the neighborhood will ride their bike to the water,” said Trooien. “Most people have to get to the site by driving a car.” The current plan calls for 2,000 parking stalls to serve retail businesses on the site.

The final information session will be Wednesday from 6 pm until 9 pm at the Wellstone Center.

Still, developer Jerry Trooien started the meeting he organized with this blunt statement: “This is not an open democratic forum.” Instead, he described the gathering with about 50 attendees as an “informational forum.” For the next 2 1/2 hours, Bridges project staff spoke about geography, topography, flood plains, water tables, gradation, plan overlays and storm water retention. 

What Trooien and the staff didn’t talk about was the Bridges project. For a forum run by the Bridges developer, called by the Bridges developer and paid for by the Bridges developer, there was almost no talk of the project itself.

“Tonight was to establish some parameters,” said Roland Aberg, the Bridges master planner and main speaker.

Trooien promised that JLT would discuss “more exciting things” at the next meeting.

The meeting ended with a question-and-answer period that was supposed to take only written questions because other meetings have been contentious. Since “everyone has been very civilized and cooperative,” Trooien said, “we can scrap the written question idea.” But he did ask that questions focus on topics addressed that night. Only one question, seeking clarification of a technical term, came from the audience.

Much of the meeting focused on the West Side Flats Master Plan. All of the speakers were careful to point out that this plan does not actually cover the area where the Bridges is to be located and neither does the District del Sol small area plan.

Trooien said a lot more information is available now about the West Side Flats Master Plan than when the plan was created in 2002 . “Six years ago, all of us, me included, had one notion about what that housing and retail would look like,” Trooien said. “Historically, no one should have seen this as a major retail space.”

The next meeting will be Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wellstone Center.

Trooien has created a series of four meetings from 6 until 9 pm at the Wellstone Center.  The meetings will be held on April 23rd, April 26, April 30, and May 2. Trooien said in an e-mail, “In recent discussions with several board members of WSCO it is apparent that everyone wants to see these forums begin.

The project was proposed and put in front of the West Side Citizens’ Organization board, which shot down the plan. It then went before the Zoning Board for rezoning, but before it could go before the St. Paul City Council, member Jerry Trooien withdrew and councilman Dave Thune wrote a letter proposing creation of the Tri-Council, a group of neighborhood councils affected by the project, which now is defunct.TIF funding that had been requested was denied by St. Paul’s PED Director Cecil Bedor.
The Tri-Council took up the issue with initial difficulty, which only got worse until the process was called off by Thune. After the cancellation of the Tri-Council WSCO and Trooien each created an independent series of meetings about the project. The first meeting was a JLT meeting with no fireworks or excitement, at all. (read about the  third JLT meeting.) The JLT meetings wrapped up and lead right into the new WSCO process.
The view of the river has also been designated a endangered historic site by the Preservation Alliance.

Here’s a look at the players:

Jerry Trooien: Trooien is developer of the project and owns a large portion of the land. He is founder of JLT Inc.

Dave Thune: Ward 2 Council Member, Thune has tried to mediate troubles between Trooien and community members with strong opposition and  limited success. He is currently running for re-election unopposed.

Tri-District Council/Tri-Council: The body was set up set up by Dave Thune to consist of members from the WSCO, Capitol River Council (Downtown), and Fort Road/West Seventh district councils to review the Bridges. Thune disbanded the group after several very contentious meetings.

WSCO: The West Side Citizens’ Organization, the planning council district in which the Bridges project is located. WSCO underwent a shift during its 2006 annual meeting, where an unprecedented number of participants, including volunteers from outside the neighborhood, came out and swung the board from strong opposition to the project to a very favorable group.

Don Luna: New WSCO board chair and chair of the Tri-Council until it was disbanded.

Diane Gerth: West Seventh resident and appointee by the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation to the now-defunct Tri-District Council.

Bob Spaulding: Downtown resident and appointee by the CRC to the now-defunct Tri-District Council. Current member of the Planning Council.

Additional stories:
Sen, Sandy Pappas says the law won’t change so Bridges can get TIF money.
Planning councils write letter to Trooien.
WSCO annual meeting had large number of attendees and candidates.
The rift over the Bridges even became a matter of family strife.
The National Park Service came out against the project.
The new WSCO board tried to find footing.