This bridge is the main bridge over the Mississippi River. It contained a deck girder, nine 7-panel Pratt Through Trusses with riveted connections and A-Frame portals, a 234' Lift Span and a single truss.
The bridge was built in 1909 on concrete substructures to replace an 1886 Whipple Through Truss. The stone piers for that bridge are right beside this bridge.
Historic photo of the previous bridge
On June 30th 1981, the bridges lift span shack was set ablaze by teens with fireworks. This set the bridge on fire, collapsing the lift span.
It was nearly 2 weeks until the Army Corp of Engineers blew up the lift span and one other truss. Today, this leaves a huge gap in the bridge.
After the collapse of the center span, there were plans to reuse portions of the bridge to load barges. However, these plans completely fell through.
Overall, the remaining structure remains in fair condition. The author is curious why this bridge wasn't removed, although the remaining structures would be viable for future use.
Historic photo of the bridge
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the large design of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview. More photos of this bridge will be coming soon.
| Upstream | Crescent Bridge |
| Downstream | Burlington Lift Bridge |