Hastings Rail Bridge is a

vertical-lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...

that spans the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

Hastings, Minnesota Hastings is a city mostly in Dakota County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat, with a portion in Washington County, Minnesota. It is near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Vermillion, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin-M ...

. It is one of only four lift spans on the Mississippi River, the others being at Hannibal, Missouri,

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...

and in downtown

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

. It was built in 1981 by

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...

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 Prescott is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, Pierce County, Wisconsin at the confluence of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River and Mississippi River. The population was 4,258 at the 2010 census, making it the second-large ...

that crosses the St. Croix River.
404 link --> The two tracks converge at the St. Croix interlocking tower.

References

External links

* Vertical lift bridges in Minnesota Railroad bridges in Minnesota Bridges over the Mississippi River Bridges completed in 1981 Buildings and structures in Hastings, Minnesota Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Canadian Pacific Railway bridges in the United States Transportation in Dakota County, Minnesota {{Minnesota-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links