Hiawatha light-rail service is suspended this morning spanning three Minneapolis stations because of late-night trouble with a nearby bridge, officials said.

Light rail is out of service between 38th Street and Franklin Avenue stations due to the closure of the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge over Hwy. 55 north of Lake Street, said Metro Transit spokesman John Siqveland.

The bicycle and pedestrian bridge was closed late Sunday after a cable support broke, which then led to the failure of two other cables anchored father east on the bridge, city officials said.

Crews are working now to put up shoring under the bridge deck.

Along with light rail being affected, vehicle traffic on Hiawatha Avenue is also off limits from Lake Street to 26th Street for what could be the entire day.

There is no firm word on how long before rail, road and bike traffic are back to normal.

"We'll be in close touch with MnDOT all through the day to see how this progresses," Siqveland said.

Metro Transit staff members are at the 38th Avenue, Lake Street and Franklin Avenue stations directing commuters to buses that are being called on to augment where light rail service is suspended.

Customers are advised to expect delays and to check metrotransit.org or Metro Transit's Twitter account (@MetroTransitMN) for updates.

The Sabo Bridge is a 2,200 foot-long cable-stayed suspension span that opened in November 2007 to carry Midtown Greenway bicycles and pedestrians over Hiawatha Avenue.

Hiawatha light-rail service is suspended this morning spanning three Minneapolis stations because of late-night trouble with a nearby bridge, officials said.

Light rail is out of service between 38th Street and Franklin Avenue stations due to the hasty closure of the Martin Olav Sabo Bridge over Hwy. 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) north of Lake Street, said Metro Transit spokesman John Siqveland.

The city-owned bicycle and pedestrian bridge was closed late Sunday after a cable support broke, which then led to the failure of two cables anchored at the top of the bridge, city officials said.

Crews are working now to put up shoring under the bridge deck.

Along with light rail being affected, vehicle traffic on Hiawatha Avenue is also off limits from Lake Street to 26th Street for what could be most of the day.

If everything goes well, rail service and traffic on Hiawatha Avenue could resume before the end of the day, said Mike Kennedy, director of transportation, maintenance and repair for Minneapolis Public Works. However, "it's going to be some time" before the 2,200-foot-long bridge reopens, Kennedy added.

The cables that failed are the bridge's longest and are the ones that reach to the very top of the span, Kennedy said.

The problem came to the city's attention because "someone was out walking on the bridge [Sunday] night and came across the cable laying there," Kennedy said. That person called 311, the city's all-purpose hot line. From there, the call was routed to police dispatch, which then notified city street maintenance officials, Kennedy added.

Metro Transit staff members are at the 38th Avenue, Lake Street and Franklin Avenue stations today directing commuters to buses that are being called on to augment where light rail service is suspended.

Customers are advised to expect delays and to check metrotransit.org or Metro Transit's Twitter account (@MetroTransitMN) for updates.

Kennedy said it's fortunate that the bridge's troubles came on Presidents' Day, given that "the traffic load is a bit lower on a minor holiday."

The cable-stayed bridge opened in November 2007 to carry Midtown Greenway bicycles and pedestrians over Hiawatha Avenue.

Its most recent annual inspection was in September, and "there was nothing we saw that got anyone's attention," Kennedy said, "so we are just as surprised as anybody."

Hopefully the bridge is still under warranty. Or maybe the city got lucky and purchased the 'extended service' plan.

lmao

Oops - we've got two threads on this one. I just posted some photos from this morning over here:

http://mplsbikelove.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=23025

This is why we can't have nice things.