Keokuk Rail Bridge

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Keokuk Bridge
Upstream of the Keokuk Rail Bridge, 1982
Carries	Double deck single track railway and highway bridge
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Keokuk, Iowa and Hamilton, Illinois
Design	Swing bridge
Opening date	1916
Coordinates	40°23′28″N, 91°22′24″W

The Keokuk Bridge, also known as the Keokuk & Hamilton Bridge, carries a double deck single track railway and highway bridge across the Mississippi River between Keokuk, Iowa and Hamilton, Illinois. Designed by Ralph Modjeski and constructed 1915–1916 on the piers of its predecessor that was constructed in 1869–1871. It is located just downstream of Mississippi Lock and Dam number 19 and is documented in the Library of Congress Historic American Engineering Record as survey number IA-3.

Following the completion of the Keokuk-Hamilton Bridge, the upper deck of this bridge, on the Keokuk side, was converted to an observation deck to view the nearby lock and dam and is no longer used for road traffic, but is still used for rail traffic. The bridge was originally owned by the Keokuk & Hamilton Bridge company, but following financial problems in the 1940s, the bridge was given to the City of Keokuk in late 1948.

[edit] See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River
• Lock and Dam No. 19

[edit] External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress) - Survey number HAER IA-3
• Keokuk Area Convention and Tourism Bureau - Observation deck
• Construction dates and brief history

Bridges of the Mississippi River
Upstream Fort Madison Toll Bridge	Keokuk Rail Bridge	Downstream Keokuk-Hamilton Bridge