Burlington Rail Bridge

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Burlington Rail Bridge

Carries	Double track rail line
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Burlington, Iowa and Illinois
Maintained by	BNSF Railway
Design	6 truss spans and one swing-span
Opening date	1893
Coordinates	40°47′55″N, 91°05′31″W

The Burlington Bridge carries a double tracked rail lines across the Mississippi River between Burlington, Iowa and Illinois. The bridge is currently owned by BNSF Railway as part of its Chicago to Denver mainline. It is somewhat controversial in that its swing-span only allows one barge to pass at a time and the US Coast Guard has declared it a navigational hazard. The bridge is planned to be replaced with a vertical lift bridge to double the width of the navigational channel once about $40 million is appropriated.[1] As of 2005, around half of the estimate has been approved. Amtrak's California Zephyr crosses this bridge. The original bridge at this location was constructed in 1868. It was reconstructed in 1893 in its current form. On May 1, 2008, 5 fully loaded barges broke loose during a period of high water. One struck the bridge and became lodged under it. The bridge was closed until midday on May 2, when one track was opened after it was deemed safe. The barge was removed during the afternoon of May 3 and the other track was reopened that evening bringing the bridge back to full use to carry the dozens of trains that cross it daily.