Baudette, Minnesota/Rainy River, Ontario International Bridge

1. Baudette, Minnesota/Rainy River, Ontario International Bridge

2. Location

3. Location • US and Canadian Customs facilities are at each end of the bridge approach • Alignment on US side made challenging by US Customs equipment, City park, substation and archeological sites • Alignment on Canadian side expected to be less affected by Customs location, but archeological and other issues may still exist

4. History • This bridge provides access to 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 • Originally built in 1959 by the Cities of Baudette, MN and Rainy River, ON • The bridge has a total length of 1,285 feet and accomodates a 2-lane roadway with a width of 24 feet and an open grate steel deck • Operated locally as a toll bridge until 1988, when ownership was taken over by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario (MTO)

5. Project Purpose • The current project was initiated to address structural issues and the long-term need to continue providing a safe and reliable river crossing at this location • The bridge is classified as fracture critical (non redundant)

6. Wooden Walkway

7. Open Steel Deck

8. Floor Beam Corrosion

9. Low Vertical Clearance

10. Project Details • Bridge was found ineligible for inclusion on the Ontario Heritage Bridge List • MTO provided a position paper to the MnDOT stating MTO does not consider rehabilitation viable

11. Project Details • Bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historical Places in the United States • MnDOT is nearly complete with its rehabilitation study • Next steps will be to work through Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and likely Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act

12. Project Details • In the meantime, concurrent work has begun looking at replacement • Initial discussions were focused on developing project separately • This approach potentially solved some of the bureaucratic concerns, but it created others……

13. Project Details • Current approach is to have MnDOT lead (with close coordination with MTO) the environmental documentation, preliminary design, structure type study and early stakeholder coordination of the project • Work is underway to develop a cost-sharing agreement • Consultant will be required to either have offices in both the US and Canada, or at least partnering with approved firms on both sides of the border • Handling of detail design and construction will be decided in the future

14. Project Details • Presidential Permit not required • Congressional Authorized Bridge under International Bridge Act of 1972 • Existing owners of congressional authorized bridges may replace, repair or expand their existing bridges without further State Department approval • Early consultant effort ongoing • Compile agency stakeholder list with contact information • Compile list of permits/approvals needed • Anticipated duration for obtaining permits/approvals • Comparison of design standards/requirements between MnDOT and MTO

15. Project Details • Potential Agency Stakeholders: • MN SHPO • MN DNR • USACE • FHWA • US Customs • US State Department • US Coast Guard • GSA • Ontario Ministry of the Environment • Department of Fisheries and Oceans • Division of Water Quality • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources • First Nations • Transport Canada, Navigable Waters • Canadian Border Service Agency

16. Project Timeline • A detailed critical path schedule has been developed • Schedule shows 300 days of float given a late summer 2013 consultant notice to proceed and letting date of November 2017 • Project needs to be let no later than April 2018 to take advantage of Minnesota bonding dollars • Current schedule only includes MnDOT processes • Need to allow procurement time for detail design consultant

17. Questions??