This railroad bridge was built as part of the Soo Line mainline across northcentral Minnesota. The Soo Line crosses the Mississippi River a second time in Bemidji, and that bridge is also a trail bridge.

When built, this bridge was over 1,000 feet long. Over time, the Soo Line filled in all but the two approach spans. That leaves the configuration that we see today, a truss main span, and two plate girder side spans. Major fill work was added in 1943 and 1959, with the current configuration being completed in 1964. The rail line was abandoned in 1985, and opened as an early rail-to-trail project in 1988.

The rail-to-trail program seeks to preserve historic railroad rights of ways by converting them into regional trails. The trails bring in tourism. If a national emergency warrants rebuilding the railroad, the right of way is graded and ready to go.

The photo above is a view of the bridge from the service road leading into the RV park. The MN-232 highway bridge is visible in the background. The photo below is looking east down the trail and across the bridge as seen from the highway that runs just west of the structure. The embankment was cut down as part of the conversion to be a trail bridge to allow the trail to meet the highway.

The photo above is a view looking upstream to the north from the RV park on the west side of the river. The white railing has been added to the bridge as part of its conversion to be a trail bridge. The photo below is a view looking downstream to the south looking directly into the mid-day sun. The brown water color is again apparent.