Known for one of the most popular tourist attractions and the second oldest bridge in the Twin Cities, the famous Stone Arch bridge, the bridge that crosses over between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul, will be closing. This closure will allow repairs and replacements of the mortar, which is essentially cement but mixed with water and sand. Mortar will go between all the stones, as well as replace damaged stones as needed. The first phase of construction will start in April 2024 and will last through November. Then it will reopen during the winter months. After that, the final closure will start in March of 2025, which is said to be wrapped up by October, of that same year.
Hill Stone Arch Bridge, otherwise known as The Stone Arch Bridge is known for being one of the most popular tourist attractions and is the second oldest bridge in the Twin Cities. The bridge was built between 1881 through 1883 by James J. Hill. Its purpose for being created was to bring 80 passenger trains a day into the Union Station. Once the bridge was built, it instantly became a symbol of not only the city but the importance of railway traffic and commerce to its continual development.
After railroad use of the bridge ended in 1982, it was converted for pedestrian use; it has now become a part of the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail. As technology changed and the railroads declined, so did the usage of the Stone Arch Bridge. When the Stone Arch Bridge ceased being used as a railroad bridge in 1978 it was only hosting four trains a day. The Stone Arch Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and in 1994 it was transformed into a pedestrian bridge and has been a crucial part of redeveloping the riverfront. And now, the bridge connects the east and west banks of the Mississippi River, and is a popular destination, with Mill Ruins Park on the west side and Father Hennepin Park on the east, and is part of the Saint Anthony Falls Heritage Trail.
An anonymously preferred South High Student stated “The Stone Arch closing will inconvenience many on the daily who use the bridge to get to work or school, especially if individuals want to avoid the morning rush hour traffic.” They also stated, “Students wanting to take senior photos during the years the bridge is closed, might have issues finding a nice area since the bridge is a very popular location for senior photos.” Another anonymous South High Student said that “traffic could also be affected going through that area, the streets next to it and around it. It will definitely not be convenient or easy for some, however, it might be necessary considering this bridge is a huge tourist attraction and it is one of the oldest bridges in Minnesota.” As many people at this closure will be affected, it will hopefully be worth the wait and temptation.
![A power outage on Friday May 12 before the start of the school day led many students to leave the building and miss parts of first, second and third hour. “[Staff at the front door] said the power might be on at 11, so [we should] come back to school at 11,” recalled freshman Riley Olson. “A lot of people went back home.” However, Principal Afolabi Runsewe claimed and maintains that students were told to stay in the commons and were never given the option to leave school.](https://www.shsoutherner.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/power-outage.png)
