This small girder bridge crosses 270th Street between Faribault and Austin.
Located along an out of service railroad, the bridge has not been formally abandoned.
Reportedly built in 1947, this bridge features a short girder main span, and is approached by wooden trestle. The substructures are all timber.
In addition, the main span does use an interesting arrangement of girders, which suggest that this bridge could be much older as 1947. Unusual spans like this oftentimes indicate that the bridge was once built somewhere else, rebuilt and moved to the current location.
The design of the girders also indicates an 1890s style girder. Further research is currently being conducted on this bridge.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. The future of this line is currently unknown, although Rice County has established an authority on obtaining the railroad right of way should it ever be abandoned.
The author has ranked this bridge being locally significant, due to the largely unknown history. However, should more information be found, this rating could change.
The photo above is an overview.