The new 11th Avenue Northeast. bridge over Interstate 90 in Austin was recently selected as the winner of a Minnesota Department of Transportation and Association of General Contractors Bridge Construction Award.

Bridge No. 50808 is a two-span concrete girder bridge with two 12-foot lanes, two 8-foot shoulders and a 10-foot sidewalk, according to a news release from MnDOT. Lunda Construction Company was the prime contractor on this $2.97 million project. The bridge was given the award in the category of bridges with construction costs between $1.5 and $5 million.

The bridge was given high marks for complexity, timeliness and workmanship. It features many aesthetic elements including cast-in-place concrete arch facades, concrete columns wrapped with thin brick, an ornamental metal rail and stamping and coloring of the new sidewalks. The bridge was completed on time in October 2017.

MnDOT worked with the city of Austin and other community groups through a visual quality advisory committee to develop the aesthetic elements on the bridge. Additionally I-90 bridges through the Austin corridor slated for replacement or rehabilitation in the coming years will have similar elements.

An award will be presented to the resident engineer, project engineer and lead inspector at the AGC annual meeting in St. Paul this May.