Cleanup Begins As Super Bowl Festivities Wrap Up In Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Now that out-of-town guests are gone or in the process of leaving, there's a lot of cleaning up to be done.
Crews are now tearing down the elaborate displays that filled Nicollet Mall over the past week and a half. They're also dismantling many of the structures that surround U.S. Bank Stadium and removing concrete barriers.
Hosting the Super Bowl and all the activities leading up to it was a little bit like having an enormous house party with lots of guests. In this case, it was a 10-day party, with nearly a million guests -- and it's going to take a few days to break down the attractions, clean up and return things to normal.
The elaborate playground that seemed to pop up almost overnight on Nicollet Mall -- between 6th and 12th Streets -- is starting to slowly disappear.
The big purple banners proclaiming Super Bowl LII were the first things to go.
The outdoor concert stage at 8th Street was a hot spot during the 10-day free festival known as Super Bowl Live. It's now just memory.
The Birkebeiner Bridge hopped over 9th Street, where folks could try out cross-country skiing and other winter sports. Most of the snow from the bridge has now been removed and once it's completely dismantled, the structure is headed back to its home in Wisconsin.
"It's good to have the streets back so we can all move around and have our own space again," Chris Thomforde of St. Paul said.
Over by U.S. Bank Stadium, cranes now replace the crowds. Some streets are starting to reopen in the restricted areas, but some closures will remain in effect through Tuesday.
While the cleanup effort is taking place, there are still some Metro Transit bus detours, which you can find at MetroTransit.org. Commuters on the roads can find information about closures at 511mn.org.
A Super Bowl Host Committee representative said Friday is the target date for all structures to be removed.
