This relatively routine steel girder bridge was built in 1980. When this bridge was built, the highway was rebuilt and realigned about 1/4 mile to the east. As a result, this is the first bridge in this location. The road crosses the river at an angle, resulting in a bridge that is shaped like a rhombus.

The old bridge was known as the Iron Bridge. It was a steel through truss bridge. The county would have like to have kept the old bridge for historical purposes, but it was too expensive to maintain, and vandals often attacked the old bridge.

One thing to notice here is that the Mississippi River has become a much bigger river since the past bridge at Highway 5, and dramatically bigger than the 10 inch deep stream at 510th Street or Coffee Pot Landing. The river size is due to several other smaller rivers merging with the Mississippi in the two miles west of this location.

The photo above is a view looking south across the bridge deck. The photo below is a view from the northeast corner of the bridge as seen from the water level.

The photo above is the bridge plate from the new bridge. The photo below is a view of the new bridge as seen from the edge of the river at the location where the old bridge once stood.

These two photos are the site of the old Iron Bridge. The photo above is a view of the north end of the bridge. The approach road is still in place, and it ends at the river bank where a series of barricades mark the end of the road. The photo below is a view of the south end of the old bridge. The abutment and roadway has been completely removed.