The Eisenhower Bridge is a 2 lane steel truss bridge that crosses the Mississippi River main channel at Red Wing, Minnesota. The Wisconsin side of the bridge features a long causeway given that the river side channels and wetlands are several miles wide.

The first river crossing at Red Wing was a ferry boat that began service in 1863. This boat was a flat bottomed paddle boat. The paddle wheel was driven by a pair of horses walking on a belt. In 1865, the horse powered boat was replaced by a ferry boat that operated along a cable that was streached across the Mississippi River.

The first bridge at Red Wing was approved in 1872 by the US Congress, but there was no money included with the approval. The local citizens voted for bonding in 1893, and the new Red Wing High Bridge was ready in 1895. It was a toll bridge.

The High Bridge need to be replaced, so Congres came to the aid of Red Wing in the late 1950's. The new bridge started as the Interstate Bridge, but was renamed the Hiawatha Bridge. When the bridge opened, President Eisenhower visted Red Wing to give the dedication speech. It was the largest gathering in Red Wing history with over 20,000 people turning out to hear the President. Eisenhower stressed that the government in Washington was listening to the people and taking care of their needs even though they were over 1000 miles from the federal capital. In reality, 1960 was an election year, and Vice President Nixon was in a tough battle with Senator Kennedy. Eisenhower came to Minnesota to help Nixon's election chances. Kennedy won the election, and the folks in Red Wing renamed the bridge in Eisenhower's honor.