This bridge is one of the three unique Milwaukee Road swing bridges.
In the namesake city of the Milwaukee Road, three bobtail style swing spans were built. Of these, this is the southern one and only one to cross the Kinnickinnic (KK) River.
This bridge is built on concrete substructures, and is approached by a single deck girder. It originally was built in 1898.
During recreational boating season, it opens almost regularly with a 2 hour advanced notice.
The C&NW crossed the KK near this bridge on an ornate bridge that was built in Chicago in 1898, relocated to Milwaukee in 1908 and destroyed in 1996.
Utilizing a bobtail design takes a specific skill of engineering. The bridge has to perfectly balance on the pivot point, meaning use of a counterweight is typically needed.
Bridgehunter.com has a list of 13 railroad bobtail swing spans. Of these, eight were built for the Milwaukee Road.
The swing span is also a 6 panel riveted through truss with a warren design and an X-Frame portal. The center is a simple tower connecting the two leafs of the bridge, one with four panels, the other with two.
Although good angles can be had from Kinnickinnic Avenue, the lighting was very poor and the angle did not turn out.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the rarity of bobtail spans such as this.
Instead, the angle above is from 1st Street. The bridge can be seen from nearby roads.
| Upstream | C&NW Kinnickinnic River Bridge |
| Downstream | UP Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge |