photo by Carolyn Bertsch
Three children bolt full speed down the bridge at Mayor Fitzthum’s question, “Who wants to go first?” They are (left to right) Brooklyn Lindbloom, 5; Marcelo Sardina, 6; and Colton Lindbloom, 7. Sardina has been asking about the bridge for months and was excited to try it for the first time. The Lindbloom siblings came from Becker to see the bridge reopened. Their dad grew up in Sartell.
by Dennis Dalman
They’re not kidding when they call it the “Old Bridge.” It’s old alright. It opened in 1914 and for 70 years it carried traffic across the Mississippi River at Sartell, from west to east, from east to west.
Yes, it’s old but it hasn’t given up the ghost. It’s been revitalized, given renewed life as a “New Bridge,” a pedestrian bridge.
At 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 9, people gathered on the west side of the bridge for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the structure’s new purpose. Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum welcomed the people who gathered, along with city council members.
Then, the people at the ceremony began to take a leisurely stroll across the bridge and back again.
It was a warm, beautiful Friday night, and after the sun sank, it was even more beautiful as the scaffolding of the bridge was suddenly illuminated with glowing colored lights.
In 1914, it took six months to build that structure, known as a three-span bridge. Throughout the coming years, traffic became too congested on the rather narrow bridge, to the point where it could not carry heavy trucks. The bridge was eventually used as a conduit to link utility lines from both sides of the river.
The Old Bridge was closed in 1984, after a new bridge was built 850 feet downriver, near the paper mill.
The pedestrian bridge will link up on the west side to a mile-long walking path. Another mile-long path is expected to be constructed on the east side of the river and will connect to the bridge’s east side.
Currently, people who walk across the bridge do not have access to the land on the east side. They have to turn around on the east end of the bridge and walk back to the west end of the bridge. For safety reasons, bikers are expected to walk with their bicycles while they are on the bridge.
Sartell Mayor Ryan Fitzthum cuts a ribbon June 9 officially reopening the White Truss Bridge.
The White Truss Bridge was built in 1914 and closed in 1984. It reopened again June 9. A History of the bridge is posted on the gate on the east side of the bridge.
Three council members welcomed visitors to the June 9 ribbon-cutting opener for the pedestrian bridge in Sartell. In the center is Mayor Ryan Fitzthum. The others are city-council members Alex Lewandowki (left) Tim Elness (right).
Spectators, anxious to walk across the White Truss Bridge, gather June 9 for the ceremony and ribbon cutting.
This is the “Old Bridge,” now the new Pedestrian Bridge as it looked when it was illuminated on the night of June 9 after it was opened for the public.
The White Truss Bridge is lit in Sartell’s colors. The color of the lights can change for different occasions.
Sartell residents gathered at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the pedestrian rive bridge. At left is Mayor Ryan Fitzthum, who welcomed the people and shared some information about the new amenity.
Visitors take a leisurely stroll across the newly opened pedestrian bridge in Sartell. The walking bridge was repurposed from the “Old Bridge” built in 1914.
