Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge

Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge
Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge
Coordinates	47°30′47″N 92°31′21″W / 47.51306°N 92.52250°WCoordinates: 47°30′47″N 92°31′21″W / 47.51306°N 92.52250°W
Carries	Four lanes of US 53
Crosses	Rouchleau Mine Pit
Locale	Virginia, Minnesota
Official name	Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge
Other name(s)	U.S. Route 53 Bridge
Maintained by	Minnesota Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Total length	1,125 ft (343 m)
Height	204 ft (62 m)
History
Opened	September 4, 2017; 4 years ago
Location

U.S. Route 53 Bridge[]

The U.S. 53 Bridge now known as the Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge^[1] was built in 2017. This bridge is 204 feet (62 m), tall making it the tallest bridge in Minnesota.^[2] This bridge a traffic volume of about 22,200^[3] cars per day, making it one of the most traveled freeways on the Iron Range. This is due to the bridge connecting southern Iron Ranger to the north. Virginia is the main commercial, medical, education, and dining hub of the Iron Range, so this makes the bridge a daily commute from people living in Eveleth, Gilbert, Aurora, and even Duluth and Cloquet. The bridge also has a bike lane and pedestrian walkway that leads to trails connecting Gilbert and Virginia.

U.S. 53 relocation project[]

Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) relocated the main route to Virginia from southern cities including Duluth, Eveleth, Gilbert and Minneapolis. This project happened because the Rouchleau Mine Pit had Iron Ore under were the old U.S. 53 was.^[4] This was one of the biggest projects in 20 years in the Iron Range due to the height of the bridge. The bridge leads to Virginia, International Fall's and Canada, International Falls and Canada are about 100 miles (160 km) north but the US 53 Bridge is a main route to I'Fall's and Canada.

About Virginia[]

Virginia is in the Duluth MN-WI MSA. Virginia is a Suburb about 50 miles (80 km) north of Duluth. Virginia is in the Iron Range section of Minnesota due to the high amount of iron found in the area. The iron is the reason this bridge was made in the first place. Virginia has a small but mighty retail and food district. There may not be much of a choice for shopping or food but it is great for the size of the city and is very near Duluth and close to Minneapolis.

History[]

History of the bridge is very slim due to the age of it. It was originally named "U.S. Route 53 Bridge" then more commonly called "Virginia High Bridge" then in August 2021 the bridge was formally named "Thomas Rukavina Memorial Bridge".