Charles Crane/MDN Deterioration of the concrete piers of the Third Street Bridge in Minot has increased since it was last inspected in the winter, and is being reviewed by the North Dakota Department of Transportation before the bridge is reopened to traffic on Wednesday, July 3.

While Minot drivers were glad to hear the news that the completion of road construction at the intersection of Third Street Northeast and Fifth Avenue Northeast would hasten the reopening of the Third Street Bridge, some residents have grown concerned with the advancement of deterioration of the concrete moorings and piers of the structure.

Lance Meyer, City engineer, said though the condition of the concrete has long been an area of concern for the Public Works Department, some recent images sent to the department could potentially require a postponement of the plans to reopen the bridge.

“It is a concern. We’ve been watching some of this fall that has been happening on the piers of this bridge for a while. A couple years ago there was some concrete that was starting to deteriorate. This past winter it has gotten worse,” Meyer said.

Meyer said all bridges in Minot are inspected every two years by the North Dakota Department of Transportation which notes any concerns in reports before forwarding them on to be addressed by the City. A rehabilitation project was included in the City’s 2025 capital improvement plan for the Third Street Bridge scheduled to begin in 2027. The total cost for the project is estimated to be $2,350,000 which will be paid for by state funds.

“We would go in and chip away the bad concrete, add new concrete, fix any ridge deck falls that are happening. Basically it’s a maintenance project. It’s much like what we just got done completing on the Burdick Bridge in the past year,” Meyer said.

Meyer noted that the images of the deterioration on the bridge have been forwarded to the NDDOT Bridge Division to assess if it has reached a more concerning state since the bridge was last inspected.

“We want some more eyes on that just to see if it’s something that has gotten worse that would raise the level of concern before we open the bridge back up. I’m still waiting to hear back from the DOT. If it’s something they say, ‘Hey we need to send a team up there to take a look at it before you open back up,’ then we’ll do that,” Meyer said. “We’re obviously going to be on the side of caution. We take any kind of bridge maintenance projects very seriously in Minot.”

Meyer indicated that barring such a directive from NDDOT, the Third Street Bridge will be reopened to traffic after the new concrete has finished curing, which is expected to be ready by Wednesday, July 3.