The new bridge was designed and built to replace a now removed fracture-critical and structurally deficient bridge withinsufficient shoulder and lane widths. Additionally, the bridgecaused traffic queues due to insufficient capacity. The newbridge provides safety, capacity, and access with a long-life facility that connects La Crescent, Minnesota with La Crosse, Wisconsin.

The new four lane bridge replacement includes a 1,666’ twin, post-tensioned box girder unit with 508’ long main spans over the navigational channel and 926’ of 82” deep precast, prestressed concrete girders. Its design and means & methods of construction were selected to avoid environmental impacts: it uses the fewest possible piers; it was built from above with form travelers in balanced cantilever, eliminating the need for large ground- and water-based equipment; maintaining commercial and recreational river traffic. This smallest-possible footprint allowed uninterrupted operations for USCOE Lock and Dam No. 7 located just upstream and continuous access for fishermen. Utilizing efficient, long spans resulted in a smaller permanent bridge footprint for the best environmental stewardship and greatest economy.

GM2's Complex Bridge staff participated as lead designer and engineer of record. GM2's Complex Bridge staff also provided aesthetic feature development through a series of community meetings with the Visual Quality Committee. Aesthetic items included pier shape, railing details, bridge color, and abutment and retaining wall treatments. During construction GM2's Complex Bridge staff provided on-site construction engineering inspection and design office support.