Repairs on two St. Louis County bridges are expected to begin Tuesday, closing segments of Jean Duluth Road and County Highway 7 for up to six weeks.
The large culvert that carried Jean Duluth Road over the Lester River north of Duluth was washed out in last June's flooding. Road crews worked through the fall and early winter to install a new bridge and reopened the road in early January. However, some of the finishing details could not be done in cold weather conditions. That includes pouring concrete approach panels, milling the bridge deck, road grading and some landscaping.
The Highway 7 bridge over the Cloquet River in Industrial Township was closed for several months last year while the bridge, which had been deemed structurally deficient, was being rebuilt. Crews reopened the road in late November, but now need to pave the final road surface, paint the bridge and add ornamental metal railings. The bridge will be closed during the day but open at night.
