City, county and state pass the buck on responsibility for historic St. Paul bridge

On Aug. 4, spokespeople from both Ramsey County and the city of St. Paul sent out a news release announcing the closure of the Bruce Vento trail underneath East 7th Street, due to dangerous conditions in an historic bridge. But when fences were put up, it closed off the tunnel providing the only southern access to Swede Hollow Park, a major amenity for the East Side and the only car-free path in and out of downtown St. Paul. 

According to the release, “next steps and timeline for reopening the trail will be provided as information becomes available.” Translation: There’s no plan to fix this problem. Spokespeople for the city, county and the state Department of Transportation (MnDOT), which owns the 7th Street right-of-way over the bridge, gave nearly identical statements, lacking concrete information.

“The trail will reopen after safety concerns are addressed, the timing of which is unknown,” said county spokesperson...