Hastings bridge closure changes: It is now expected to close sometime next week

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The main span for the new Highway 61 bridge in Hastings is now floating out of the navigational channel in the Mississippi River.

Talk about it

There has been another change of plans for the Hastings bridge closure, which had been scheduled for this week.

It looks as though the bridge will close during 48 to 72 hours sometime next week.

When asked about the delay from last week's scheduled closure to this week's scheduled closure, MnDOT's Kirsten Klein said in an email that "the scale and magnitude of the process requires them to be very diligent and tedious with all of the checks they go through."

In an email update sent out by MnDOT today, the delay was explained like this: "We've had to postpone the actual float-in again because we want to make absolute certain that each of the intricate details is accounted for on this historic move. We now plan to float in the new span next week."

There had been a Sept. 15 deadline to get the main span moved in place. This new timeframe obviously doesn't hit that deadline.

Monday started out with Hastings bridge project manager Steve Kordosky telling Minnesota Public Radio that the bridge would now likely close down at 8:30 a.m. on Friday instead of this Wednesday, as had been planned.

But when the Hastings Police Department was contacted by the Star Gazette about the change, and when asked about the new plan for a weekend closure, the HPD said they are now preparing for a mid-week closure next week, instead. Apparently the plan changed over the weekend and then changed again today.

We will continue to work on this story and will post more information as it becomes available.

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