The Edina City Council approved a Memorandum of Agreement last month that will allow the city to replace the 1937 Wooddale Avenue Bridge over Minnehaha Creek. The 88-year-old bridge, designated as a local heritage landmark, has become structurally unsafe and impractical to repair.

The Wooddale Avenue Bridge, built during the Depression era as a federal relief project, has reached the end of its useful life. The steel arch structure shows significant rust at the water line, and the bridge's railings are failing. The deck is also too narrow for modern transportation needs, limiting space for pedestrians and bicyclists.

City officials determined that rehabilitating the bridge would be impractical and ultimately more costly than replacement. As one council member explained during discussion, accessing the rusted steel arch would require removing the failing railings and street, essentially deconstructing the entire bridge. "At that point the whole bridge is ripped up," the official noted, "you might as well put back something that meets our transportation needs for wider sidewalks buffered bike lanes and just more space for people to use the bridge."

The approved Memorandum of Agreement involves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office. These agencies granted permission for the replacement on the condition that the city document the bridge's historic significance and install an informational sign detailing its history. This ensures that while the physical structure will be replaced, the bridge's heritage will be preserved through public education.

The new bridge will accommodate modern transportation standards, including wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes. The project represents a balance between preserving Edina's history and meeting current community needs for safe, accessible infrastructure.