Whitewater State Park Culverts (Bridge 8594)
History and significance
Bridge 8594 is one of four large Rustic Style culverts located on a 0.3-mile segment of Trunk Highway 74 in Whitewater State Park. The structures carry Trunk Highway 74 over a dry run drainage channel designed to protect the roadway from erosion within the state park's steep terrain. The culverts were built in 1936 by a WPA Transient Camp as part of the New Deal development of the state park. Each culvert has a 10-foot-wide arched barrel made of corrugated metal plates, as well as headwalls and wing walls made of local limestone. Three of the culverts have unusual stone flumes designed to guide the fast-moving water through the structures.
The culverts are contributing resources within the Whitewater State Park CCC/WPA/Rustic Style Historic Resources historic district, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The culverts are also contributing resources within the Trunk Highway 74: St. Charles to Elba Segment, which is a historic road corridor eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Rehabilitation
In 2021, MnDOT rehabilitated Bridge 8594. Work included stone headwall reconstruction and in-kind replacement of deteriorated limestone. In order to prevent future scouring, innovative flood mitigation measures were also installed, including buried concrete slabs and drop walls.
Location
Whitewater State Park (Winona County)
Latitude, Longitude: 44.048512, -92.057407