HASTINGS, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Department of Transportation said upgrading a bridge over the Mississippi River in Hastings is no longer an option and that it will be replaced instead.

Officials say rehabilitating the bridge would have taken too long, cost too much and lacked community support. They’re now considering three designs for a new bridge.

They are: Box girder, which are twin bridges; tied arch, which is a single bridge; and cable, also a single bridge.

MnDOT hopes to have the work under contract by June 1, 2010, with construction to start a few months later. The project is expected to take three to six years to complete at a cost of $232 million to $303 million.

Bridge inspections between 1997 and 2007 indicated the bridge’s condition worsened over the years with corrosion, broken bearings, rotting sidewalks and crumbling concrete. It will be demolished after the new bridge is finished.

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