The MN-115 bridge is one of the most unusual of all Mississippi River crossings. We have seen bridges that share a structure with trains. We have seen trains above, below, and next to highway traffic. This is the one and only remaining bridge over the great river where cars and trains use the same roadway. The other similar bridge was the McKinley Bridge in Saint Louis. It had one traffic lane that was shared with a railroad track, much to the surprise of any motorist who had a locomotive catch up behind them as they were crossing the bridge.

Other than the unusual arrangement of roadway and railroad track, this is a very standard steel girder bridge. It was built in 1930, but updated twice since then, most recently in the late 1990s.

The MN-115 bridge is the main highway link serving Camp Ripley, a major national guard training base. The guard will often meet at this base and assemble troops and equipment for deployment. From here, they can load up on rail cars and ship out as a unit.

The photo above is a view of the south face of the bridge. The photo below is a view crossing the MN-115 bridge heading westbound. The photo at the top of the page is a view of the bridge deck as seen from the southeast corner of the structure.

The photo above is a view of the bridge site looking towards the west. The photo below is the caution signs located just east of the bridge to warn cycle riders that the railroad tracks cross the traffic lane at a very shallow angle.