A vital link to northeast Minneapolis may not open for another year and a half. Corrosion forced the Plymouth Avenue Bridge to close in October. Officials hoped to have it reopened by this fall, but KSTP has learned if lawmakers don’t approve funding in a special session it won’t open until the end of 2012.

When it is open, 14,000 people drive the Plymouth Avenue Bridge every day. Business owners say the extended closures is going to hurt their business even further.

The cost to repair the bridge is about $7 million.