HELP !!!!!!
 International border bridge located over the
Rainy River on the Minnesota Trunk Highway
72 and Ontario Provincial Highway 11
 This route provides access to and from
Baudette, Minnesota and Rainy River, Ontario,
a connection between the United States and
Canada as well as a full-service, 24-hour Port of
Entry
 Operated as a toll bridge until 1988
 This project was initiated as a result of the Chapter
152 funding intended to address structural issues
 This bridge was constructed in 1959 with a total
length of 1,285 feet, a 2-lane roadway with a width
of 24 feet and an open grate steel deck
 The bridge is classified as fracture critical (non
redundant) and has a sufficiency rating of 48.8 out
of 100
 There is substantial section loss (up to 50%) on
some members
 The steel truss exhibits pack rust and free edge
distortion on many gusset plate connections
 The knee bracing on the overhead truss members
were removed after being impacted a number of
times
 Active corrosion on the structural members will
continue to reduce the structural capacity of this
bridge over time
 Bridge can support normal weight loads, but
not ‘permitted’ overweight loads (Type B
and C) and over-dimensional loads (over
14.7’ high)
 Both high and wide loads have impacted the
vertical and overhead truss members
 Microbial induced corrosion (corrosion due
to water-borne bacteria) is evident on the
steel caissons
 The project is currently scheduled for a
November letting in 2017, but could
potentially be let sometime between 2016
and June of 2018
 Ontario has finished their Cultural
Heritage Evaluation process; MnDOT
will start its historical process soon
 Steps from this point are dependent of
the results of the historical process
 United States Army Corps of Engineers
 Minnesota DNR
 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
 FHWA – David Franklin of the TBWG.
 FHWA – New York Office.
 FHWA – St. Paul Regional Office.
 U.S. Customs
 U.S. Department of State
 General Service Administration
 U.S. Coast Guard
 State Historic Preservation Office
(SHPO)
 Other????
 Ministry of Transportation, Ontario (MTO)
 Ontario Ministry of the Environment
 Department of Oceans and Fisheries,
Canada
 Division of Water Quality
 Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario
 Ministry of Culture, Ontario
 First Nations
 Transport Canada, Navigable Waters
 Canadian Border Service Agency
 Office of Canadian Affairs
 Other ???
 Boise Cascade – upstream dam
operations
 Canadian National Railroad – railroad
operations adjacent to bridge
 Businesses and activities in Baudette
and Rainy River
 Other ???
 MTO has determined that this bridge does
not qualify for the Ontario Heritage Bridge
List, and thus does not consider
rehabilitation as a viable option
 Discussions have taken place considering
each partner build their half and meet at the
center of the river
 Recent experience has shown agencies from
Canada, U.S., Minnesota and Ontario will
not recognize authority being limited to the
international border
 Labor and contracting laws differ in
each country
 Developing an agreement to transfer
dollars from one government entity to
the other could prove challenging
 Geometric standards differ slightly for
the transportation agencies
 Materials requirements, such as
concrete and steel, need to be kept as
uniform as possible so the bridge reacts
consistently
 Needs of the communities, businesses
and border facilities will need to be
addressed
 Other ???
 Cooperative Agreement between
Minnesota and Ontario is still in
development
 Will need to address/resolve many of
the challenges identified
 Ontario’s comments on the draft
agreement reflect their desire to have
each partner build ½ of the bridge