Highland Bridge: Designed with the River in Mind

At Highland Bridge in Saint Paul, we flipped standard stormwater management on its head and made water the centerpiece. Capitol Region Watershed District Deputy Administrator Bob Fossum, City of Saint Paul Economic Development Project Manager Tia Anderson, and Ryan Companies Associate Director of Engineering Anthony Adams uncover what happens when a once-in-a-lifetime redevelopment project is designed with the Mississippi River in mind. The 130-acre site of the former Ford Assembly Plant on the river bluff was 100% impervious since the 1920s. A century ago, Hidden Falls Creek was paved over and directed to an underground pipe, carrying pollution to Hidden Falls Park and the Mississippi River. Now the central water feature and the reestablished creek are filled with treated stormwater that tumbles over Hidden Falls and flows to the river. The innovative, award-winning Highland Bridge stormwater systems treat an estimated 64 million gallons of water each year, removing 147 lbs. of phosphorus, and 28 tons of sediment before it reaches the Mississippi River.