The Third River Bridge is built on a national forest access road. The road provides access to a campground in Winnie, MN, and connects to points north. It gets its name from the road, which eventually skirts around three sides of the Third River Flowage a few dozen miles north of the Mississippi River.

The bridge was built by the US Department of Agriculture, which is the agency that runs the national forests. The bridge is relatively new, built in 1971, and features precast concrete girders. The railings, however, are of an obsolete style. The original bridge across the Mississippi River in this area was a half-mile downstream. It was a 1926 wooden trestle. When it needed to be replaced, the entire road was rebuilt along a new alignment to avoid a very swampy area. The old bridge remained in place, but burned down in 1975.