Stillwater Lift Bridge to close to cars Wednesday during repair

The Stillwater Lift Bridge will be closed to cars as workers on Wednesday begin to repair a snapped cable.

The bridge is expected to close to vehicle traffic at noon Wednesday and re-open at about 4 p.m.

Workers hope to have the lift 82-year-old bridge fully functioning – open to both cars and boats – by the end of week, weather permitting, KSTP reports.

A frayed cable snapped Sunday night as the bridge was being lowered and the span has been in the down postion since then – open to pedestrians and motor vehicles traveling Minnesota Highway 36. But boats taller than 6 feet have not been able to go under the bridge, the Minnesota Department of Transportation reported.

The Star Tribune had reported that three of six strands in the 7/8-inch wire frayed, but it was not immediately clear why, a MnDOT spokesman said.