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| Name | Grand Forks Railroad Bridge BNSF Red River Bridge |
| Built By | Great Northern Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor (98' spans) | American Bridge Company of New York |
| Superstructure Contractor (85' spans) | Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of North Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Superstructure Contractor (East Approach) | Unknown |
| Length | 1040 Feet Total, 98 Foot Main Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 30 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Type | Through Plate Girder, Steel Stringer and Modular Concrete Girder |
| Substructure Type | Stone Masonry, Concrete and Steel Pile |
| Date Built | c. 1900 (47' Span) 1918 (85' Spans) 1921 (98' Spans) 1956 (Steel Stringer Spans) 2005 (West Approach Trestle) |
| Date Replaced | 2017 (span #8) 2022 (span #9) |
| Traffic Count | 10 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | Open to Traffic and Partially Replaced |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 107.0 (Old #29) |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 107.0 |
| Significance | Moderate Significance |
| Documentation Date | 7/7/2012 |
In 1875, the Red River Valley Railroad Company would construct a new 12 mile line from Crookston, Minnesota to Fisher, Minnesota. In 1879, railroad magnate James J. Hill would gain control of the line, and fund a 12 mile extension to Grand Forks. After the extension was constructed, the railroad was sold to the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway Company (StPM&M). The StPM&M would acquire or build a considerable amount of trackage throughout Minnesota in the coming years. 45 miles of additional railroad were constructed between Crookston and Fosston, Minnesota in 1888. The Eastern Railway Company of Minnesota would construct an additional 99 miles of railroad from Fosston to Deer River, Minnesota. In 1907, the StPM&M and Eastern Railway Company were purchased by Great Northern Railway.
The GN operated this route as a mainline. The line continued west to Seattle and east to the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. BN was in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Grand Forks to Cass Lake segment of this line as the Grand Forks Subdivision.
Located south of DeMers Avenue in Grand Forks, this large through plate girder bridge has seen numerous alterations since it was first constructed. The first bridge at this location was a wooden through truss swing span, with wooden Howe through truss and wooden trestle approaches, set onto two stone piers and timber substructures. In 1896, the swing span was replaced with a 196-foot pin connected Pratt through truss swing span. The approaches were replaced in 1902.
As traffic along this route increased, a heavier bridge was required to meet demand. The approach trusses were replaced in 1918 with three through plate girder spans, including an 85-foot span on the east end, and 85-foot and 47-foot spans on the west end. The 47-foot span appears to have been relocated to this location, and was likely originally constructed in approximately 1900 at an unknown location. In 1924, the swing span was replaced by a pair of 98-foot through plate girder spans. In 1956, ten steel stringer spans were added to the east end of the bridge, and concrete substructures constructed. The wooden approach on the west end of the bridge was replaced with seven modular concrete slab spans in 2005. At the time of documentation, the bridge consisted of seven modular concrete girder spans, set onto steel pile substructures, a 47-foot, an 85-foot, two 98-foot and an 85-foot through plate girder spans, set onto timber pile and stone masonry substructures, as well as 10 steel stringer spans, set onto concrete substructures. Railroads often upgraded portions of large bridges like this separately, particularly due to cost concerns.
In 2017, a fire broke out near span #8, and the 47-foot through plate girder span would be replaced by two additional modular concrete girder spans. In 2022, the bridge would further be upgraded, with span #9 and the western 7-feet of span #10 being replaced, and three more modular concrete spans installed. At the time of documentation, the bridge appeared to be in fair condition, with some deterioration noted to the timber components of the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the large scale size of this bridge.
Citations
| Builders and build dates | Builders Plaques and Date Stamps |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |