The University's annual Paint the Bridge event was also canceled for this fall due to the concerns in the report.

Hennepin County and University officials originally closed the exterior sidewalks of the bridge's upper deck to pedestrians and bicycle traffic.

The report, issued Aug. 21 by the engineering firm URS Corporation, recommended that the upper deck's outdoor areas be closed. Pedestrians, many of whom are students returning to campus for the fall semester, will only be able to use the 14-foot-wide, enclosed center portion of the upper deck, and bicyclists the outdoor designated bike lanes. The lower bridge deck, which carries vehicle traffic, is restricted according to vehicle weight.

The bridge's pedestrian level will need extra reinforcement, Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County Commissioner, said.

"The fear was if there was a large crowd on the outer part of the pedestrian part of the bridge that it actually could collapse," he said.

However, Marthand Nookala, the assistant county coordinator at Hennepin County, said the bridge is safe to use.

The repairs are scheduled to take until spring 2009 to complete, but officials at Hennepin County are looking into ways to speed up the process, McLaughlin said.

Paint the Bridge canceled

The Student Unions & Activities office released an e-mail Thursday afternoon explaining the cancelation of Paint The Bridge, the annual event that lets student groups publicize their group along the inside portion of the bridge.

"Due to [the safety] concerns, Student Unions and Activities (SUA) has canceled this year's Paint the Bridge event. The existing panels will remain as they are and student organization content will remain unchanged," Denny Olsen, senior associate director at SUA, said in the e-mail. "There will not be enough room to put on this event safely while still allowing for traffic flow across the bridge."

Andy Sayre, a graduate assistant at SUA, said students will still be able to promote their groups at the St. Paul Activities Fair, Gophers After Dark, Student Group Showcases or by reserving a contact table or display case in the Student Unions.

Sayre said he does not think canceling Paint the Bridge will affect new students ability to participate in student groups.

"Paint the bridge tends to be more of an opportunity for group members to bond with each other, and all of the information from groups last year will still be up on the bridge for new students to see," he said.

The event won't be rescheduled this year because it's uncertain when the bridge repairs will be completed, Sayre said.

Check mndaily.com and Tuesday's Daily for updates.