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| Name | BNSF Bassett Creek Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #1.1 |
| Built By | Great Northern Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Length | 64 Feet Total, 16 Foot Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 5 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Concrete Slab |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1914 |
| Traffic Count | 2 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 1.1 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 1.1 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 3/19/2019 |
In 1882, the Minneapolis and Northwestern Railroad (M&NW) constructed a 63 mile long railroad between Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minnesota, passing through Monticello and Clearwater. The M&NW was purchased by the The Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway (StPM&M) in 1883. The StPM&M was leased to the Great Northern Railway (GN) in 1890, and sold to the GN in 1907. The railroad was controlled by railroad magnate James J. Hill. The route became a secondary mainline between Minneapolis and St. Cloud.
In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). As Northern Pacific had a parallel route across the Mississippi River, this line fell out of favor and the segment between Monticello and St. Cloud would be abandoned. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe to form BNSF Railway, which currently operates the remaining segment between Minneapolis and Monticello as the Monticello Subdivision.
Located near Penn Avenue in Minneapolis, this concrete slab bridge crosses Bassett Creek. Built in 1914, the bridge features four standard concrete slab spans, set onto concrete substructures. As railroads sought a cost effective and quick way to replace timber pile trestles, the concrete slab span quickly became a favorite of many railroads. This style of bridge brought the advantage of being able to be precast offsite, and installed with minimal interruption to traffic. Overall, this bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with some deterioration noted throughout the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build Date | Great Northern Willmar Division Bridge Index, located at the Minnesota Historical Society |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |