Bridge will soon be floated into place

HASTINGS, Minn. -- The main span for the new Highway 61 bridge over the Mississippi River will be floated toward its final location around Labor Day, Sept 3.

Thousands of people are expected to come down to the riverfront to watch the 545-foot, 6.5-million pound structure get moved, and the Hastings Police Department has been working on a plan to determine where to put them all.

Once the span is in place, there will still be considerable work remaining, but by May, one lane of traffic in each direction will be routed onto the new bridge.

Once traffic is on the new bridge, the old bridge will be dismantled, and crews will be able to construct the final piece of the project, the two northbound lanes over downtown Hastings. Crews can't build those now because the current bridge is in the way.