Another change in plans for a popular Minneapolis attraction this weekend.
After some pushback on its decision to close the Stone Arch Bridge at 8:00 p.m. each night over the holiday weekend, Minneapolis Park Board officials are shifting the start time of each night's closure to 10:00 p.m.
They say the closure is intended to prevent "unsafe, chaotic conditions" like what happened on and around the bridge during last year's July 4th holiday. Several people were critically wounded in a shooting at Boom Island Park, and people in cars were shooting fireworks as dangerous projectiles at passersby on city sidewalks. While both Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz condemned the violence, the city was unable to contain it.
This kind of garbage cannot be tolerated in any city,” said Mayor Frey. “And it's our job to make sure that it doesn't take place here in Minneapolis.”
The Stone Arch Bridge will be closed overnight on Friday, June 30 and ending at 6 am, Wednesday, July 5. It will be closed to both pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
"Last year, large Fourth of July gatherings in riverfront parks and neighborhoods created unsafe, chaotic situations," says a statement from the Park Board. "This proactive measure will help park staff and public safety agencies better manage crowds and safety during a very busy time for riverfront parks and neighborhoods. Riverfront trail users will be detoured to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge."
Taste of Minnesota will be taking place at the north end of downtown Sunday and Monday, and a laser fireworks display is planned at Boom Island Park Monday night. The Park Board says the laser show will not be viewable from other parts of the city so you must be in Boom Island Park. There will be food trucks and the event is free.