CPKC St. Anthony Parkway Bridge


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Name CPKC St. Anthony Parkway Bridge
Built By Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
Currently Owned By Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited
Superstructure Contractor Unknown
Length 60 Feet Total, 30 Foot Main Spans
Width 4 Tracks (1 In Use)
Height Above Ground 13 Feet 11 Inches
Superstructure Design Concrete Slab
Substructure Design Concrete
Date Built 1920
Traffic Count 10 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date 3/26/2014

ln In 1887, the Minneapolis and St. Croix Railway (M&StC) constructed 36 miles of new railroad between Shoreham, Minnesota and the St. Croix River near Osceola, Wisconsin.  The line connected to ongoing Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) construction in Wisconsin.  In 1888, 5 additional miles of new railroad would be constructed from Cardigan Junction to Soo Line Junction in St. Paul (near present day Arlington Avenue and Jackson Street).  The M&StC would be purchased by the Soo Line in 1888.  In 1890, a one mile extension would be constructed from the Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway tracks, across the Mississippi River to Camden Junction.  In 1899, a new spur was built along the west bank of the Mississippi River to reach downtown Minneapolis.  An additional extension would be made to Seventh Street in St. Paul in 1909.  A new cutoff was constructed in 1911 between the Mississippi River Bridge and Central Avenue.  By 1937, the Soo Line had entered bankruptcy, and it would be reorganized as the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad in 1944.

By 1961, the Soo Line would be merged with other CP subsidiaries Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad and Wisconsin Central Railroad to form Soo Line Railroad, a company controlled by CP.  In 1981, the southern mile from Soo Line Junction to Seventh Street would be abandoned.  In 1984, the Soo Line would be reorganized as the Soo Line Corporation, and the railroad would be fully merged into CP in 1990.  In 2023, CP would merge with Kansas City Southern Railway to form CPKC, which currently operates this route.  The Minneapolis to Withrow segment of the line is known as the Withrow Subdivision.


Located in the Columbia Park area of North Minneapolis, this decorative concrete slab bridge crosses St. Anthony Parkway near Central Avenue. Reportedly built in 1920, the bridge features two decorative concrete slab spans, set onto decorative concrete cylinder piers. The slab spans feature a decorative fascia, and curved ends where they meet the abutments. Slab spans were commonly used as bridges throughout the United States, due to the ease of construction and durability. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some spalling seen throughout the structure. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.


Citations

Build Date National Bridge Inventory (NBI)
Railroad History Citation ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

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