Claim to fame: second oldest surviving bridge over the Mississippi River.
Bridge was built in the 1880s by famous railroader James J. Hill. Bridge was in use until 1978. It sat unused until it was refurbished in 1994. It now serves bicycle and pedestrian traffic, plus an occasional chartered tour bus. There is a spectacular view of the St. Anthony Falls from the bridge.
This bridge was a very popular location to view the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse in August, 2007. This bridge was the closest point for the viewing public during the first two weeks following the I-35W disaster. Police often closed the bridge during that time period when bodies were retrieved from the water to prevent people from taking photos of the recovery operation.
Two arches were removed in the 1960s to accommodate the construction of the lock and dam system that sits just upstream from the bridge. A steel truss was used to span the gap. Since the bridge was an active rail line at that time, and Minneapolis was an important passenger hub, the bridge construction could not interrupt rail traffic. To accommodate this, the stone foundations where the bridge was to be cut were widened, and the steel truss was built outside of the stone. When the truss was ready, the stone arches were knocked out, and the rail lines were reinstalled on the truss section. Rail traffic was stopped for only 7 hours during the installation of the truss span.
