Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Redby Bridge to Be Removed and Replaced

The Mud River (Redby) bridge and dam are slated for removal by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) in 2012. MNDOT wants to replace the bridge and straighten the road. The new bridge will be 50 feet south and be realigned for safety.

The wider bridge will allow pedestrians to cross more easily, which now can be dangerous - particularly when trucks are crossing. Like the new bridge at Sandy river, there will be enough room for people to fish from the bridge, and also like Sandy River there will be a service road down to the river so that people can fish right from shore.

Bridge replacement is part of a larger overall project that will lead to better site lines for safety, widening for walking, and a shoulder for fishing. The old bridge will be removed, a new bridge installed, the Redby dam will also be removed along with stream restoration. The Redby dam (now a dangerous hazard) and the reservoir it created have not been in use since Redby got city water. (See dam removal and stream restoration story elsewhere as part of this series)

Community Decides Bridge Design

According to Red Lake Economic Development and Planning staff Margueritte Secola, back in late June MNDOT Design Engineers Phil Bergem and Jan Heuer visited with local residents from the Redby community. Redby’s District Representatives Al Pemberton and Julius Thunder were both in attendance.

“Three concepts for bridge aesthetic treatment were presented”, said Secola. “Concept 1 had a boulder effect design below grade, Concept 2 had a pine tree silhouette motif, and Concept 3 was to consist of murals completed by local artists. Heuer also outlined how MNDOT could help compensate for the artwork and materials.” (Concepts 1 and 2 drawings are shown elsewhere in this story).

“Bergem reported that there was unanimous consent by the community that they preferred the boulder effect or Concept 1,” said Secola. “I was told that a driving force behind the decision was concern about graffiti and vandalism. The group felt that even having local artists complete the work would probably not be enough of a deterrent for vandalism. Given the pattern of the boulders it is the least likely to present a good surface for graffiti.”

The citizen group was also in agreement that they liked the use of Clan symbols in the railing and preferred the railing with the hump in the middle (also shown on Concept 1).

 

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