It’s high time the High Bridge is back! There will be Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Monday, March 28, 2022 at 11 a.m., at the west entrance of the High Bridge, near First Street.
The historic High Bridge, which serves as a scenic pedestrian trail crossing the Chippewa River, was initially closed to the public on June 21, 2021 after a tree limb damaged a railing during a storm. Over the following days, additional changes in the condition of the bridge were observed, making repair an urgent situation.
In July of 2021 the Eau Claire City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Interim City Manager Dave Solberg to enter into an emergency agreement for repair of the High Bridge. The resolution was introduced to the Council by Leah Ness, Interim Engineering Director for the City. Kraemer North America, Haas Construction, and Ayres Associates immediately began work to stabilize and save the bridge.
The first railroad bridge in that spot was built in 1872, the year Eau Claire officially became a City. However, the original wooden deck truss bridge couldn’t sustain the amount of traffic seen by our growing city and, in 1880, work began on the High Bridge as we know her today. The bridge is considered to be of national importance – its main truss spans are believed to be the only remaining example of quintuple intersection lattice deck trusses in the country.
