A heavily traveled bridge over Hwy. 169 in Brooklyn Park is closed indefinitely after it was damaged by a truck transporting a backhoe on Monday.

More than 17,000 motorists who use the 77th Avenue/Brooklyn Boulevard/Elm Creek Boulevard bridge will be forced to find an alternate route until MnDOT determines the bridge is safe to reopen, said spokesman Kent Barnard.

Several concrete beams sustained "significant damage," Barnard said.

MnDOT bridge engineers will inspect the bridge, document the damage and remove loose concrete. When that is complete, the state's bridge office will update the structure's rating to determine how much weight it can bear and whether it is safe to reopen the bridge to any traffic, Barnard said.

While the bridge over the northwest metro highway is closed, Hwy. 169 below remains open in both directions, as do ramps to and from 77th/Brooklyn Boulevard/Elm Creek Boulevard, Barnard said.