Hastings Rail Bridge

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Hastings Rail Bridge

A view of the Hastings Rail Bridge from the west.
Carries One track of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Crosses Mississippi River
Locale Hastings, Minnesota
Maintained by Canadian Pacific Railway
ID number L-268
Design Lift bridge
Total length 1,755 feet (535 m)
Width One track
Longest span 324 feet (99 m)
Clearance below 60 feet (18 m) (span lifted), 21.9 feet (6.7 m) (span down)
Opened 1981
Coordinates 44°44′48″N 92°50′52″W / 44.74667°N 92.84778°W / 44.74667; -92.84778Coordinates: 44°44′48″N 92°50′52″W / 44.74667°N 92.84778°W / 44.74667; -92.84778

Hastings Rail Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota. It is one of only three lift spans on the Mississippi River, the others being at Hannibal, Missouri, and in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. It was built in 1981 by Milwaukee Road and was designed by Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff.

It crosses the Mississippi river in a north–south orientation from Hastings just upstream of Point Douglas, where the Saint Croix River empties into the Mississippi river. In addition to CP Rail traffic, the bridge also carries Amtrak's Empire Builder across the river.

Another nearby lift bridge is the Prescott BNSF lift bridge, in Prescott, Wisconsin that crosses the St. Croix River. The two tracks converge at the St. Croix interlocking tower.

Gallery

  • An earlier Milwaukee Road bridge at Hastings, photographed in 1885

  • A special-excursion passenger train crossing the bridge in 2010

See also

References

  • Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4. 



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