Winona Bridge over the Mississippi River

The First CMGC Project in Minnesota. This multi-phased project consists of building a new cast-in-place, balanced cantilevered segmental bridge upstream from the current bridge, followed by rehabilitation of the Warren through truss and reconstructing approach spans of the existing structure. The new bridge uses a concrete box girder design that is of comparable height and style that visually complements the iconic historic truss of the existing bridge. The two-bridge solution was a result of MnDOT working with the community to identify three primary goals for the project: keep the river crossing open, minimize financial burden on the city, and open the new bridge as soon as possible.

With urgency expressed for completion of this Mississippi River crossing, MnDOT chose Construction Manager/General Contractor (CMGC) procurement for the project—the first CMGC project in Minnesota. CMGC is an innovative alternative delivery contracting method that engages a construction manager during the design process. Using a phased plan with multiple work packages, CMGC allows new bridge construction to begin while still finalizing design.

The Winona Bridge project combined expertise in both innovative new bridge construction and the methodical process of bridge rehabilitation. With forward-thinking planning and early engagement afforded by the CMGC process, this project exemplifies how excellence can be achieved with a “one team” mindset for collaboration. Construction of the new bridge and approaches was completed three months ahead of schedule, and rehabilitation of the existing bridge was completed four months ahead of schedule.