Main Channel Bridge (Winona)

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Main Channel Bridge (Winona)
Main Channel Bridge (Winona)
Picture of the cantilever section
Carries Two lanes of MN 43 and WI 54
Crosses Mississippi River
Locale Winona, Minnesota
Maintained by Minnesota Department of Transportation
ID number 5900
Design Cantilever bridge
Longest span 450 feet
Total length 2290 feet
Width 36 feet
Clearance below 64 feet
Opening date November 1942
Coordinates 44°03′26″N, 91°38′24″W

Main Channel Bridge (Winona) is a cantilever bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Winona, Minnesota and Fountain City, Wisconsin. Construction on the bridge was started just before the United States entered World War II, and the construction was hastened to finish in November of 1942, despite labor shortages, difficulty obtaining materials, and high water. It was built in 1941-1942 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).

On May 17, 2008, the United States Postal Service announced that the bridge would be on the Minnesota Sesquicentennial commemorative stamp.[1]

Following an inspection of the bridge's gusset plates, it was announced by MnDOT that the bridge would close June 3, 2008. Gusset plates were the components suspected in the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge. The bridge was expected to be closed for several weeks with over 60 mile long detours as an alternative.[2]

[edit] See also

[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. 

[edit] External links

Historical "wagon bridge" at Winona. (1892)
Historical "wagon bridge" at Winona. (1892)