MANKATO — Some Blue Earth County residents have figured out a way to save the Dodd Ford Bridge over the Blue Earth River.

The 113-year-old bridge south of Amboy had been closed to heavy traffic for decades and shut down completely for five years.

There had been discussions of demolishing it. But some Amboy residents landed a place for it on the National Register of Historic Places, and enlisted the support of other groups such as the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota.

They’ve also convinced the county board to provide $130,000 needed for the $1.3 million repair and preservation.

The plan is to put the historic truss on top of a modern concrete bridge deck supported by steel beams.

The work is expected to begin this summer.