Unseasonably warm weather temporarily closes Birkie Bridge
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Activities on the Birkie Bridge in downtown Minneapolis were put on hold due to icy conditions Saturday, two days into Super Bowl LIVE activities.
Minneapolis had unseasonably warm weather Friday and Saturday with temperatures reaching into the 40s, causing snow to melt and then refreeze.
The bridge invites visitors to Nicollet Mall to enjoy winter activities like cross country skiing, skijoring, tubing and fat tire bike racing in the middle of downtown.
It was partially reopened for a skijoring event Saturday afternoon. It will be fully reopened on Sunday after crews bring in fresh snow, Michael Howard of the Super Bowl Host Committee told Fox 9.
The Birkie Bridge was built for the 10-day festival leading up to the Super Bowl. The 200-foot long bridge was built on Nicollet Mall over 9th Street earlier this month. It took 12 dump trucks of snow to cover the bridge.
The bridge is used each year in the American Birkebeiner or “Birkie”, which is North America’s largest cross country ski race.
Super Bowl LIVE will be open to the public through February 4. For more information on all the featured activities and free concerts click here.