“Congratulations, Winona, and this is a great day,” said Governor Tim Walz as the historic bridge over the Mississippi River at Winona re-opened to traffic today nearly six months ahead of schedule following major renovations. First District Congressman Jim Hagedorn says, “Winona is as beautiful and dynamic as the bridge and the river, and there’s so much going on here and it’s the people, it’s the community that make it happen.”
The 1942 bridge is featured on the postage stamp commemorating Minnesota’s 150th anniversary of statehood in 2008, but that same year the bridge had to be closed due to structural deterioration. A new parallel span that opened in 2016 carried traffic both directions across the Mississippi until renovation of the historic bridge was complete.