View an article regarding the construction of this bridge.
This bridge is the middle crossing of the Mississippi River at Clinton.
Comprised of a single Parker Through Truss, eight Quadrangular Through Trusses and a deck girder, this is the largest of the three bridges crossing the Mississippi River at this location.
The nine truss spans contain riveted connections, and rest on stone substructures. The entire bridge was constructed by the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of Milwaukee.
Of these nine spans, the main Parker Through Truss span contains seven panels.
Blueprints of the bridge, from Railroad Gazette: Volume 48 Issue 2
In addition to the current bridge, the old substructures for the old bridge still exist along the north side of the bridge. In addition, the old highway bridge substructures remain to the south.
Due to the impending construction of the new railroad crossing, all major maintenance has ceased on this bridge. The new bridge will sit approximately 100 feet to the south of the existing bridge. Construction will begin in 2021, and end in 2025.
When the new crossing is complete, this bridge; as well as the other two bridges will be removed, ending one of the most unique crossings of the Mississippi River.
Historic photo of the bridge alongside the previous bridge. Photo courtesy of PhotoLibrarian on Flickr.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the large scale truss design and age.
The photo above is an overview from the east end. The photo below is portal bracing on Span #9.
| Upstream | Sabula Rail Bridge |
| East | Sunfish Slough Bridge |
| West | Clinton Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | Government (Arsenal) Bridge |
