Elizabeth Pezalla

The Old Cedar Avenue Bridge is located in the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and at 865 feet long, is a rare example of a 5-span, through-truss, camelback bridge.  The bridge was built in 1920 and was heavily used until the late 1970s when the construction of HWY 77 eliminated the need for the structure.  In 1993 the Old Cedar Avenue Bridge was closed to car traffic and in 2002, it was deemed structurally unsafe and closed to all pedestrian and bicycle traffic, severing an important non-motorized link across the lake.  This project seeks to reopen the historic bridge, allowing both visitors and inhabitants of the site equal attention and priority.  From the trail needs of a birdwatcher to the nesting habitat of a warbler, a delicate hand is used to implement innovative design interventions within a sensitive floodplain ecosystem.