Lanesboro Trail Bridge (East)

Located on the east side of Lanesboro, this bridge is the fourth crossing of the South Branch Root River. The original bridge here was likely a wooden truss. That bridge was replaced in 1899 with a single 105-foot pin connected 6-panel Pratt pony truss span, approached by timber pile trestle and set onto a stone abutment. In 1910, additional steel spans were required due to the continuous maintenance required with the timber approach. Originally, three spans of 66-foot 4-inch deck plate girder spans were to be installed at this location, reusing five double strength girders from a skewed 4-track bridge fabricated in 1883 to cross the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, one of the five girders was damaged and could not be reused. As a result, a 60-foot span fabricated in 1894 to cross the Vermillion River at Hastings, Minnesota would be reused here. All of the girders were reconstructed in 1910, prior to being installed on timber piers. Documents located at the Milwaukee Road Archives at the Milwaukee Public Library state that Bridge Superintendent and Chief Engineer C.F. Loweth made the decision to install these spans at this location. A short timber approach span remained on the east end of the bridge. During the 1930s, the timber piers were replaced with concrete, with the exception of the eastern pier.

Reusing spans was a common technique railroads used to save money. Oftentimes, iron and steel spans which had become too light for mainline use could be reused on branch lines. The Milwaukee Road often strengthened and rebuilt these spans at their Tomah, Wisconsin shops upon relocation. However, it appears that the Milwaukee Road decided to outsource the strengthening of the girders to an outside company. The truss span of this bridge follows a standard design used throughout the entire Milwaukee Road system. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with little serious deterioration noted. It is hoped that the Minnesota DNR can continue to preserve this bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the reuse of exceptionally old plate girder spans.