Rock Island Bridge

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The Rock Island Bridge connects the cities St. Paul Park and Inver Grove Heights in Minnesota. The bridge, built in either 1894 or 1895, is a double deck swing bridge. One deck carried cars while the other was for trains. It was operated by the Rock Island Railroad until 1980. First as a toll bridge until 1938, then free to cross. Al Roman took over the bridge after the railroad went bankrupt and changed it into a toll bridge. The state closed the bridge due to safety concerns in 1999. Roman stopped paying taxes and the bridge was seized. Washington County was handed management in 2003. The plan is to tear the bridge down^{[citation needed]} in the year 2008.