This bridge honors the memory of Irene Hixon Whitney (1926-1986), a prominent Minnesotan, and symbolizes her lifelong commitment to bringing together people of diverse backgrounds and interests. The bridge, a 375-foot steel-truss construction, spans sixteen lanes of traffic to enable pedestrians to cross easily between Loring Park and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Its pair of overlapping arches represents a metaphoric handshake uniting two areas of the city. Inset along the bridge's upper beams is a poem by John Ashbery that transforms the experience of crossing into a brief escape from place and time.

The bridge is a gift of the family of Irene Hixon Whitney. Additional support and services were provided by the Federal Highway Administration, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the City of Minneapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts.