Northern Pacific-BNSF Minneapolis Rail Bridge

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Northern Pacific-BNSF Minneapolis Rail Bridge
Northern Pacific-BNSF Minneapolis Rail Bridge
Carries Two tracks of the BNSF Railway
Crosses Mississippi River
Locale Minneapolis, Minnesota
Maintained by BNSF Railway
ID number 12.1
Design Seven plate girder spans and one through-truss span
Longest span 192 feet
Total length 821 feet
Width Two tracks
Clearance below 27 feet
Opening date 1884
Bridges over the Mississippi in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
N. Pacific-BNSF Minneapolis Bridge is in the middle of this image between the bridges on Lowry and Broadway Avenues
Coordinates 45°00′16″N, 93°16′28″W

Northern Pacific-BNSF Minneapolis Rail Bridge is a combination plate girder bridge and truss bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

It was built in 1884 by the Northern Pacific Railway. The bridge was originally built in 1884 with five through-trusses. In 1927, it was renovated with nine plate-girder spans. In 1963, to provide upstream river navigation, two girder spans and three regular piers were removed to make room for a Warren truss span over the main channel, set on two heavier piers. This work took almost two years.

The bridge was originally built to provide access to Northern Pacific's yards just north of downtown Minneapolis. Today, the yards are mostly gone, but there are still some industrial areas serviced by rail on the west bank of the Mississippi.

[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. 
  • Hofsommer, Don L. (2005). Minneapolis and the Age of Railways. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-4501-9.