Hwy 43 bridge, Winona
Motorists should use caution and expect lane restrictions and some delays as crews inspect the Mississippi River bridge this week in Red Wing and next week in Wabasha. They’ll be in “snooper trucks” with long arms that extend under the bridge. Then the last two weeks in June, MN-DOT and then engineering consultants will inspect the Highway 43 bridge in Winona, as officials get ready to open a new bridge next to it, probably in late August. MN-DOT’s Mike Dougherty says, “Once traffic is established on there, we’ll close the Highway 43 bridge, the current historic bridge, and there a lot of the information that’s gleaned from these inspections now will help guide the rehabilitation.” Dougherty says when the project is finished, the new bridge will carry traffic in one direction across the river at Winona and the renovated old bridge will handle traffic going the other way.