The original bridge at this location was known as the Combination Bridge because it supported both railroad and highway traffic. The Combination Bridge opened on January 21, 1896 as a toll bridge. The tolls were eliminated on February 8, 1951. The Combination Bridge was imploded on February 23, 1981 shortly after the Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge was initially opened. The new bridge opened to two lanes on January 15, 1981, and was fully opened to 4 lanes of traffic on July 22, 1981.
An inspection in early May, 1982, found a fracture across the full width of the downstream horizontal tie girder. The fracture was heavily corroded, suggesting that the fracture happened just after the bridge was opened. Further investigation revealed that the strength of the steel varied considerably, with some of the steel not meeting minimum strength specifications. The bridge was closed on May 6, 1982. It remained totally closed for 7 months, with 2 lanes reopening on December 9, 1982. The repairs were completed and the bridge was fully reopened on May 9, 1983.
Highway US-77 once ran north and south from border to border. The northern section of the road became redundant when Interstate I-29 was completed. As a result, US-77 was truncated at the interchange located at the north end of the Siouxland bridge.