Granite Falls Railroad Bridge (South)

Located on the north side of Granite Falls, this truss bridge crosses the main channel of the Minnesota River. The first bridge at this location was constructed in 1887, and consisted of wooden truss spans, set onto stone piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans. In 1902, the bridge would be replaced by a new steel bridge, reusing the stone piers. The bridge remained largely unchanged until 2009, when it was separated from the northern bridge by filling much of the timber pile trestle between the steel spans. The bridge consists of a pair of 144-foot, 8-panel riveted Warren through trusses, approached by a 50-foot through plate girder on the north end. These steel spans are set onto stone piers, which were reused from the previous bridge. In addition, the north end of the bridge is approached by concrete modular girder spans, which are supported by steel pile substructures. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, and the stone piers were constructed by an unknown contractor for the 1887 bridge.

Truss spans were commonly used by railroads to cross larger bodies of water. Trusses were often more difficult, costly and time consuming to construct. This particular design of truss appears to have been a GN standard, as it was used at numerous locations throughout the GN system. These spans use heavily built-up members, riveted connections, a traditionally composed floor and a lattice style portal. Warren truss spans became popular in the early 20th Century, as they were stronger than Pratt trusses. Warren truss spans were also among the first to use riveted connections, which quickly became the preferred connection type for truss bridges. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with little significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.