Bridge is called the Crescent Bridge due to its curved shape. The hump back bridge sections and the swing span form a straight line. But the three smaller flat top bridge sections form an arc to allow the bridge to meet up with the railroad that runs parallel to the river on the Illinois side without that railroad taking up a lot of space by making a big loop.

Bridge was built by the Rock Island Bridge And Terminal Company. The Davenport, Rock Island, and Northwestern Railroad took control of the bridge in 1901, where it was jointly owned by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy and the Milwaukee Road. In 1995, Canadian Pacific (the former Soo Line) took over the Milwaukee Road, taking the Iowa side track. The Burlington Northern ended up with the bridge and the Illinois track, which became the BNSF when the BN merged with the Santa Fe Railroad.