While my wife and I were in downtown Sioux Falls on Saturday for the Nyberg's Ace car show, it just made sense to see what that suspension bridge over the Big Sioux River is all about.

I've seen the bridge a few times as we drive on Phillips Ave, but I never took the time to research it until now. It's not painted in Golden Gate Bridge red and it lacks 800-foot towers, but it's rather elaborate and looks cool. At first, I thought it was going to be a new walking bridge, but it has a more utilitarian use that is part of the 8th Street Bridge restoration project.

According to a video on the City of Sioux Falls Facebook page, it was erected to carry utility lines for private utility companies. The lines were buried under the bridge's road surface. The companies weren't able to reroute the lines so this temporary bridge was constructed to carry the lines over the river while crews rehab the 8th Street Bridge underneath. I had no idea that temporary suspension bridges were a thing, but it makes sense.

As for an update from July 24 on the 8th Street Bridge project, the City of Sioux Falls reports that concrete repairs along 8th Street have been delayed due to contractor availability. The waterproofing membrane and granular backfill have been placed on the bridge deck. Shotcrete application continues in spans 1 and spans 2. During the next couple of weeks, the private utilities will be placing their lines back into the bridge deck.

There are still many months to go, the target for the final completion of work is August 2021.

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