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Council authorizes bid advertising for Lions Levy Park pedestrian bridge replacement
Summary
The council authorized staff to advertise for bids to replace the aging Lions Levy Park floating pedestrian bridge, using $437,000 in state funding for engineering and construction. Final plans are complete; construction is expected to be fabricated through winter and installed in spring 2026, with seasonal closures still possible.
The City of St. Paul Park on Oct. 20 authorized staff to advertise for bids to replace the Lions Levy Park floating pedestrian bridge, a 5-0 council action that moves the project into procurement.
City consultant Morgan Dolly of WSP told the council that the state awarded $437,000 in the 2024 Minnesota legislative session for engineering and construction. Dolly said final plans are complete and that, if the council authorizes the advertisement, the city plans a mandatory pre-bid site meeting, bid openings in November and a contract award in December, with fabrication taking place over the winter months.
“The construction timeline would be…fabricating the bridge at a shop, probably remote, not on-site, through the winter months,” Dolly said. “At the first ice out, probably March or April 2026, they would float the parts and pieces down and start construction.”
The replacement bridge is designed as a wider, more robust floating structure with improved railings, poured-concrete ADA ramps on both sides and decking that will accommodate public works maintenance equipment such as skid steers. Dolly warned the council that the island and bridge may still require seasonal closure during extreme flood events even after replacement, because the design remains a floating system that rises and falls with river levels.
Dolly said the project has progressed through required permitting and that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has indicated an amendment to the existing permit is appropriate rather than a full new permit; the city expects the permit in the coming weeks.
Council member Conrad asked whether the design could include fishable “jet outs” where anglers could stand without blocking the walk path; Dolly said the current grant-funded scope does not include bump-outs and that adding them would raise costs and complicate the design, but that the new bridge’s increased width should improve fishing opportunities.
The resolution to advertise for bids (Resolution 17-59) passed on a 5-0 vote. Staff will return to the council with bid results and a recommended contract award in December if schedules hold.
Ending: With design complete and grant funding in place, the city will seek construction bids and hopes to have the new bridge in place during the 2026 boating season; seasonal closures for high water are still likely and the final contractor timeline will be set after the bid award.
