Hastings High Bridge

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**Hastings High Bridge**
The Hastings High Bridge viewed from the east.
Carries	Two lanes of U.S. Route 61
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Hastings, Minnesota
Maintained by	Minnesota Department of Transportation
ID number	5895
Design	Truss bridge
Longest span	502 feet
Total length	1857 feet
Width	32 feet
Clearance below	63.8 feet
Opening date	1951
Coordinates	44°44′47″N, 92°51′10″W

Hastings High Bridge is a continuous steel through truss bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota. It was built in 1951 and was designed by Sverdrup and Parcel.

The current bridge replaced a spiral bridge built in 1895. This was built because local residents wanted the bridge to end in the downtown business district, rather than bypass it. In order to make the bridge level, a spiral approach was built on the south end of the bridge. Drivers would get onto the bridge in downtown Hastings, make one complete circle on the spiral, and then cross the river. This bridge served the community well for many years, but towards the end of its lifespan it was rusted and could only support a 4-ton load. School buses filled with children were too heavy to make the trip, so the children had to walk across the bridge while the driver drove the empty bus across. After the new bridge was built, the old bridge was given to the city, but they could not raise the necessary funds to maintain it. The old bridge was torn down, to the dismay of local residents who felt they had lost a city symbol. A replica of the bridge has been built and can be seen at the Little Log House Pioneer Village south of Hastings.

The Hastings High Bridge is scheduled to be torn down and replaced with a new bridge by MNDot in the year 2019.^[1]

[edit] See also

List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

[edit] References

Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
Weeks, John (2005). Hastings High Bridge, Hastings, MN. The Bridges Of Minneapolis And St. Paul. Retrieved on 2006-04-29.