Fargo Railroad Bridge (South)

Located between Center Avenue and Main Avenue, this through girder bridge is the southern crossing of the Red River between Fargo and Moorhead. The first bridge here was a wooden swing bridge, which opened in June 1872. This structure consisted of a Howe truss design, and was set onto timber substructures. In addition, the bridge was approached by a long timber pile trestle approach on either end. The bridge was rebuilt with a combination swing bridge in 1883, which included the construction of a stone center pier. This structure used a curved top chord, and was again approached by a timber pile trestle approach. In 1897, the bridge was reconstructed with a single track steel swing span, utilizing pin connected Pratt through trusses. By 1923, this span had become too light for traffic, and a replacement was planned. The bridge was strengthened that year, which was intended to allow traffic to cross it through the winter until it could be replaced. In 1924, the truss would be replaced by a pair of double track through plate girder spans, approached by timber trestle approaches on either end. The girders were set onto the original stone pier, and new concrete piers were constructed on either end.

Currently, the bridge consists of a 92-foot and an 83-foot through plate girder span, set onto a stone center pier and concrete end piers. The bridge was originally approached by double track timber pile trestle spans. Through plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as they were durable and easy to construct. The old swing span was separated into two spans, which were reused near Clyde Park, Montana. As of 2024, one span still exists, and serves a private driveway. The west approach of the south track was reconstructed with modular concrete girder spans set onto steel pile piers in 2009, and the east approach of the south track was replaced with spans of the same design in 2011. The north track approaches were replaced in 2013. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.