Point Douglas is a small strip of land east of and down river from Hastings that separates the Mississippi River from the Saint Croix River. In the upper photo, the water is the Saint Croix, while the Mississippi is to the right of the photo. The BNSF Railroad lift bridge is visible just south of the highway bridge. The city of Prescott is on the Wisconsin side of the river.
Note that this bridge has a somewhat uncommon design. Most drawbridges have a large counterweight to balance the weight of the roadway sections that are lifted. That design is known as a bascule bridge. The Point Douglas Drawbridge does not use counter-weights, so it is not a bascule bridge. Rather, the end of the bridge has a large round gear on it, and matching flat gear that is operated by hydraulics. To open the bridge, the flat gear is moved, which causes the round gear to spin, which tips the bridge deck up into the air.
Prior to the drawbridge being constructed, a lift bridge carried US-10 across the St. Croix River. The lift bridge was built in 1922. It had spans of 172 feet, 174 feet, and 192 feet. Each of these spans were through truss spans, with the 174 foot span being the lift span.
