North Shore Bridges replacement project scheduled to begin June 6

Hendrickson and Noerenberg bridges closing long-term
On Monday, June 6, we will start construction to replace the two bridges carrying North Shore Drive (County Road 51) over the Hendrickson and Noerenberg channels. These bridges, often referred to as the Hendrickson and Noerenberg bridges, are nearing the end of their service lives.  

The new bridges will have the same dimensions as the current bridges with an updated look, thereby preserving existing space and natural features along the channels.

This work concludes an effort to coordinate major work on four bridges in the Lake Minnetonka area. We completed the Narrows Bridge project in 2020 and the Tanager Bridge project in 2021.   

We appreciate your continued understanding and support while we work to complete the last two bridges. We know we will have to be onsite for inspection and maintenance work from time to time, but completing this project means fewer interruptions and safer travel throughout the lakes area for many years to come.  

Closing both bridges for five months 
As a reminder, we are closing and replacing both bridges at the same time. This will allow us to limit closures and impacts for those traveling on North Shore Drive to just one construction season. We first communicated this closure late last fall.  
Barring any delays like weather, we anticipate this project to take five months to complete.  

Detour begins June 6 
With both bridges closed, we will need to close North Shore Drive to through traffic starting June 6. The roadway will be closed the entire five months of the project. Due to location of this project, this will have an impact on you whether you drive, walk, bike or roll.  
The detour for through traffic includes:  

• North Shore Drive (County Road 19) 
• Bayside Road (County Road 84) 
• Leaf Street (County Road 84) 
• Fox Street (County Road 84) 
• Old Crystal Bay Road (County Road 84) 

Local access between the bridges 
Access to North Shore Drive between the two bridges will remain open to local businesses, boat launches and homes. You will need to use the following route to access these locations. 

• North Shore Drive 
• Bayside Road 
• Tonkawa Road (County Road 135)  

Detour and local access routes during the bridge closures on North Shore Drive. For a larger view of the map, click here

Channel access and impacts
For short durations during construction, we will need to fully close the Hendrickson and Noerenberg channels connecting Crystal, North Arm and Maxwell bays. These closures will only occur between Monday through Thursday, and we will keep one channel open at all times to ensure access for people boating.  

The first channel closures will occur on the week of June 6 at the Hendrickson Channel and week of June 13 at the Noerenberg Channel.

We will also be using partial closures to complete our work at various times -- including on weekends. We will restrict the channel width but people boating will still be able to travel through the area. Traffic control boats will guide boaters through the channel during the partial closures. 

We will inform you of these closures with signage and on the project website.