The Highway 24 Bridge is a steel girder bridge

Girder bridge

A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...

 that spans the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

 between Clearwater, Minnesota

Clearwater, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 858 people, 327 households, and 223 families residing in the city. The population density was 740.9 people per square mile . There were 355 housing units at an average density of 306.5 per square mile...

 and Clear Lake, Minnesota

Clear Lake, Minnesota

Clear Lake is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 545 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and 1.23% is water.U.S...

. It was designed and built in 1958 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation

Minnesota Department of Transportation

The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...

. The bridge is longer than any other bridge upstream of the Richard P. Braun Bridge

Richard P. Braun Bridge

Richard P. Braun Bridge is a pair of 10-span concrete girder bridges spanning the Mississippi River between Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. The eastbound span was built in 1985 to connect Minnesota State Highway 252 with Minnesota State Highway 610 in Coon Rapids...

 in Coon Rapids, Minnesota

Coon Rapids, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 61,627 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,718.1 people per square mile . There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of 1,007.2 per square mile...

. This is because the Highway 24 bridge crosses a river road and three spans of floodplain before actually crossing the Mississippi.

Proposed future bridge

The two-lane highway 24 serves as a major route for weekend recreational traffic transferring between Interstate 94 and U.S. Highway 10. As such it is badly over capacity and congestion is predicted to worsen on weekdays as the area becomes developed. To relieve congestion, a new freeway connection is proposed that would cross the river several miles to the east. Construction is currently proposed for the 2015-2023 timeframe, but may be sped up as this is considered a high priority project and more funding for transportation projects has recently become available due to a gasoline tax increase. It is not known if the new crossing will carry the MN 24 designation or a different number, as the present highway between Clear Lake and Clearwater would undoubtedly be transferred to local jurisdiction. The existing bridge will be maintained for local traffic and is proposed to be replaced in a separate project around 2040.