The Hennepin Avenue Bridge is the structure that carries Hennepin County State Aid Highway 52, Hennepin Avenue, across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Nicollet Island. Officially, it is the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge, in honor of the 17th-century explorer Louis Hennepin, who was the first European to see the Saint Anthony Falls, a short distance downriver. Two of the three previous structures have been suspension bridges, while a third—which existed nearly a century—was composed of steel arch spans. The original crossing, which opened as a toll bridge on January 23, 1855, is believed to have been the first permanent span across the Mississippi at any point. Other bridges were completed in 1876, 1891, and most recently 1990. Today, the bridge's main span is in length. See also List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River References External links of previous bridge Bridges completed in 1855 Bridges completed in 1876 Bridges completed in 1891 Bridges completed in 1990 Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota History of Minneapolis Bridges in Minneapolis Bridges over the Mississippi River Suspension bridges in the United States Road bridges in Minnesota 1855 establishments in Minnesota Territory Former toll bridges in Minnesota Towers in Mississippi Concrete bridges in the United States Metal bridges in the United States