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John A. Weeks III
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    » Bridge Photography
      - MSP River Bridges
        › 10th Avenue Bridge
        › Arcola High Bridge
        › Betty Adkins Bridge
        › Bloomington Ferry
        › Bloomington Fry Tr
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        › Boom Island Foot Br
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        › C&NW Bridge (1)
        › C&NW Bridge (2)
        › Camden Bridge
        › Cedar Avenue Bridge
        › Cedar Ave Br (Old)
        › Cedar Ave Bicycle Br
        › Cedar Bend RR Br
        › Chaska Bridge (Old)
        › Chaska Swing Bridge
        › Chaska Trestle
        › Coon Rapids Dam
        › CP RR Bridge
        › Dan Patch Line Br
        › Dartmouth Bridge
        › East Channel Bridge
        › East Channel RR Br
        › East River Flats Br
        › Endless Bridge
        › F. W. Cappelen Mem
        › Father Henn Bluffs
        › Father Louis Henn Br
        › Ferry Street Bridge
        › First Avenue Bridge
        › Fort Road Bridge
        › Fort Snelling Br (Old)
        › Fort Snelling High Br
        › Great Western Bridge
        › Grey Cloud Channel
        › Grey Cloud Island Br
        › Grey Cloud Trail Br
        › Hastings High Bridge
        › Hastings Spiral Br
        › Holmes St Ped Bridge
        › Highway 243 Bridge
        › I-35W Bridge
        › I-35W Bridge (Old)
        › I-494 Bridge
        › I-694 Bridge
        › Interstate Bridge
        › Intercity Bridge
        › L St. Anthony F L&D
        › Lafayette Bridge
        › Lake Street Bridge
        › Lewis Street Bridge
        › Lexington Bridge
        › Lions Levee Pk Foot
        › Lock & Dam #1
        › Lock & Dam #2
        › Long Meadow Bridge
        › Lower Bridge
        › Lowry Bridge (Old)
        › Meeker Island L&D
        › Mendota Bridge
        › Merriam Street Br
        › Mill Ruins Park Br
        › Milwaukee Road Br
        › M&StL Bridge
        › Miss River Bridge 15
        › MN-101 Bridge
        › MN-41 Backchannel
        › MN-41 Back Ch (Old)
        › MN-41 Bridge
        › New Saint Croix Br
        › New Trunk-41 Bridge
        › Nicollet Island RR Br
        › North Miss Park Pier
        › NP Bridge #9
        › NP RR Bridge
        › Pike Island Bridge
        › Plymouth Bridge
        › Point Douglas DB
        › Raspberry Island Br
        › Richard P. Braun Br
        › Robert Street
        › Rock Island Swing Br
        › Runway 30 Light Br
        › Short Line Bridge
        › Smith Avenue High
        › Southeast Steam Plant
        › St. Anthony Falls Br
        › St. Anthony Falls Lab
        › St. Anthony Falls PP
        › St. Croix Boom Site
        › St. Croix Falls Dam
        › Stillwater Lift Br
        › Stone Arch Bridge
        › Third Avenue Bridge
        › Toll Bridge (Old)
        › U St. Anthony F L&D
        › US-8 Bridge
        › Wabasha Street Bridge
        › Wakota Bridge
        › Wakota Bridge (Old)
        › Walnut Street CW
        › Washington Ave Br
        › WI Central RR Br
        › WI Central RR Ruins
        › Wright Co Hwy 42
      - C & D Canal
      - Illinois River
      - Minnehaha Creek
      - Minnesota River
      - Mississippi River
      - Missouri River
      - St. Croix River
      - St. Louis River
      - Wisconsin River
      - Best Miss River Photos
      - Cable Stayed Bridges
      - McGilvray Road Bridges
      - I-35W Bridge Disaster
      - Miscellaneous Bridges
      - Madison County Bridges
      - Hist Br Weekend 2013
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Highways, Byways, And Bridge Photography

Bridges And Structures Of The Major
Rivers Of Minneapolis And Saint Paul

A Survey Of The Major Highway And Railroad River
Crossings, Dams, And Other Structures On the Mississippi,
Minnesota, and Saint Croix Rivers In The Seven County
Metro Area Of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota

Fourth Edition — July 2009



Being a road geek, I recently noticed three trends that are of concern to me. The first is that while we are fortunate to have a number of modern high-speed freeway river crossings, the older bridges that have been replaced are quickly being destroyed and wiped from history. Second, the misplaced paranoia about terrorism has many places attempting to make public photography illegal. Finally, as I have once again started riding a motorcycle, and my learner's permit does not allow me to use freeways, I find that I cannot use the vast majority of river crossings to ride to work since nearly all are classed as freeways. There are no leisurely river crossings where you can still do some sight-seeing without getting run over by a flock of giant SUVs or speed-crazed rice burners.

The result is this collection of Minneapolis and Saint Paul metro area bridge and other river structure photos. To qualify, a bridge or dam has to span the main channel of the Mississippi River, Minnesota River, or Saint Croix River, all of which come together in the 7 county metro area. In addition, many historic and non-channel bridges are also presented. It is an exciting time given all the new bridges that have gone up in the past decade, but at the same time, it is sad how many of the old ones were lost in the process.

As it turns out, January 23, 2005 is the 150th anniversary of the opening of the first Mississippi River bridge in the area at Hennepin Avenue. Follow this link for the excellent Minneapolis Riverfront District celebration of the bridges.

These pages are largely finished. They will, however, be growing and improving over time. I have some photography to complete, and I am still doing research on some of the bridges. This is my first experiment using a digital camera. While the digital camera is handy, I am finding that I am not able to get the results that I routinely get with my Minolta Maxxum SLR cameras. I have also been surprised at how hard it is to photograph a bridge. Most of them are in areas where it is hard to get side and under shots, many do not have pedestrian walkways, and they are so big that you have to get far back, which leads to having obstructions in the way. Finding good photo locations is the big trick. As a result, I am reshooting much of the photography over time with a new Minolta Maxxum digital SLR.


Saint Croix Falls Dam US-8 Bridge MN-243 Bridge Cedar Bend Draw Bridge Arcola High Bridge Wisconsin Central Bridge Ruins Saint Croix Boom Site Stillwater Lift Bridge New Saint Croix River Crossing C&NW Bridge Toll Bridge (Old) Walnut Street Causeway Bridge Interstate Bridge Point Douglas Bridge BNSF Bridge Minneapolis & Saint Louis Bridge New Minnesota River Bridge Chaska Bridge (Old) MN-41 Backchannel Bridge (Old) Chaska Bridge MN-41 Backchannel Bridge Chaska Trestle Chaska Swing Bridge Holmes Street Pedestrian Bridge MN-101 Backchannel Bridge Lewis Street Bridge Bloomington Ferry Bridge Bloomington Ferry Trail Bridge Dan Patch Railroad Bridge I-35W Bridge Long Meadow Bridge Old Cedar Avenue Bridge Cedar Avenue Bridge Cedar Avenue Bicycle Bridge I-494 Bridge Runway 30-Left Light Structure Mendota Bridge Pike Island Bridge Fort Road Bridge Fort Snelling High Bridge (Old) Fort Snelling Bridge (Old) Lexington Bridge Mississippi River Bridge #15 Smith Street High Bridge Raspberry Island Bridge Wabasha Street Bridge Great Western Bridge Robert Street Bridge Lafayette Bridge Chicago & North Western Bridge Wakota Bridge (New) Wakota Bridge (Old) Rock Island Bridge Rock Island Recreational Pier Levee Park Foot Bridge Grey Cloud Island Bridges Grey Cloud Island Bridges Grey Cloud Island Bridges Lock & Dam #2 Hastings High Bridge Hastings Bridge (New) Milwaukee Road Bridge Spiral Bridge NP #9 Bridge Washington Avenue Bridge Dartmouth Bridge East River Flats Catwalk F. W. Cappelen Memorial Bridge Short Line Railroad Bridge Meeker Island Lock & Dam Lake Street Bridge Intercity Bridge Lock & Dam #1 East Channel Railroad Bridge Nicollet Island Railroad Bridge First Avenue Bridge Hennepin Avenue Bridge East Channel Bridge Merriam St Bridge Third Avenue Bridge Saint Anthony Falls Power Plant Bridges Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory Mill Ruins Park Bridges Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock & Dam Stone Arch Bridge Father Hennepin Bluffs Park Bridges Lower Bridge Endless Bridge Lower Saint Anthony Falls Lock & Dam Southeast Steam Plant I-35W Bridge (Old) Saint Anthony Falls Bridge 10th Avenue Bridge CSAH-42 Bridge Betty Adkins Bridge Ferry Street Coon Rapids Dam MN-610 Bridge I-694 Bridge North Mississippi Park Pier Camden Bridge Canadian Pacific Bridge Lowry Avenue Bridge (Old) Lowry Avenue Bridge (New) Northern Pacific Bridge Broadway Avenue Bridge Plymouth Avenue Bridge Boom Island Foot Bridge Wisconsin Central Bridge

Minneapolis Saint Paul Metro Area Bridges
Note—click on any colored symbol to open a page about that structure.
Key: Black ⇒ Lock & Dam, Green ⇒ Highway Bridge,
Red ⇒ Rail Bridge, Orange ⇒ Other Structure.


The Minnesota River

Highway Bridges
Mendota Bridge (MN-55)
I-494 Bridge
Cedar Avenue Bridge (MN-77)
I-35W Bridge
Dan Patch Line Bridge
Bloomington Ferry Bridge (US-169)
Lewis Street Bridge (MN-101)
Chaska Bridge (MN-41)

Railroad Bridges
Dan Patch Line Bridge
Chaska Trestle
Chaska Swing Bridge
Minneapolis & Saint Louis Bridge

Other River Structures
Pike Island Bridge
Runway 30-Left Light Structure
Cedar Avenue Bicycle Bridge
Old Cedar Avenue Bridge
Long Meadow Bridge
Bloomington Ferry Trail Bridge
MN-101 Backchannel Bridge
Holmes Street Pedestrian Bridge
MN-41 Backchannel Bridge
MN-41 Backchannel Bridge (Old)
Chaska Bridge (Old)
New Minnesota River Crossing


The Mississippi River

Highway Bridges
Hastings High Bridge (US-61)
Wakota Bridge (I-494)
Lafayette Bridge (US-52)
Robert Street Bridge
Wabasha Street Bridge
Smith Avenue High Bridge
Lexington Bridge (I-35E)
Fort Road Bridge
Intercity Bridge
Lake Street Bridge
F. W. Cappelen Memorial Bridge
Dartmouth Bridge (I-94)
Washington Avenue Bridge
10th Avenue Bridge
Saint Anthony Falls Bridge (I-35W)
Third Avenue Bridge
Father Louis Hennepin Bridge
Plymouth Avenue Bridge
Broadway Avenue Bridge
Lowry Avenue Bridge (New)
Camden Bridge
I-694 Bridge
Richard P. Braun Bridge (MN-610)
Ferry Street Bridge (US-169)
Betty Adkins Bridge (MN-101)
CSAH-42 Bridge

River Locks & Dams
Lock & Dam #2 (Hastings)
Lock & Dam #1 (Ford Dam)
Meeker Island Lock & Dam
Lower Saint Anthony Falls Lock & Dam
Upper Saint Anthony Falls Lock & Dam
Coon Rapids Dam

Railroad Bridges
Milwaukee Road Bridge
Rock Island Swing Bridge
Chicago & North Western Bridge
Great Western Bridge
Mississippi River Bridge #15
Short Line Bridge
Northern Pacific Bridge #9
Stone Arch Bridge
Nicollet Island Railroad Bridge
East Channel Railroad Bridge
Northern Pacific Bridge
Canadian Pacific Bridge

Other River Structures
Spiral Bridge (Hastings)
Grey Cloud Trail Bridge
Grey Cloud Island Bridge
Grey Cloud Channel Bridge
Levee Park Foot Bridge
Rock Island Recreational Pier
Wakota Bridge (Old)
Raspberry Island Bridge
Fort Snelling Bridge (Old)
Fort Snelling High Bridge (Old)
East River Flats Catwalk
I-35W Bridge (Old)
Southeast Steam Plant
Lower Bridge Ruins
Endless Bridge
Father Hennepin Bluffs Park Bridges
Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory
Saint Anthony Falls Powerplant Bridges
Mill Ruins Tailrace Bridges
Merriam Street Bridge
East Channel Bridge
First Avenue Bridge
Wisconsin Central Bridge
Boom Island Foot Bridge
Lowry Avenue Bridge (Old)
North Mississippi Park Pier


The Saint Croix River

Highway Bridges
Point Douglas Draw Bridge (US-10)
Interstate Bridge (I-94)
Stillwater Lift Bridge
Highway 243 Bridge
US-8 Bridge

Railroad Bridges
BNSF Bridge (Prescott)
Chicago & Northwestern Bridge
Arcola High Bridge
Cedar Bend Draw Bridge

Other River Structures
Walnut Street Causeway Bridge
Toll Bridge (Old)
New Saint Croix River Crossing
Saint Croix Boom Site
Wisconsin Central Bridge Ruins
Saint Croix Falls Dam

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Authored by John A. Weeks III, Copyright © 1996—2016, all rights reserved.
For further information, contact: john@johnweeks.com