The La Crosse Rail Bridge is a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

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 ...

between

La Crescent, Minnesota La Crescent is a city in Houston and Winona counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,276 at the 2020 census. La Crescent is located in the northeast portion of Houston County; the northern edge of the city falls into Winona ...

and

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

. The first bridge in this location initially was designed and ready to build by June 1876, and was completed in November 1876 by the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, a predecessor of the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad 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 Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

. It was later replaced in 1902. It is at the Western end of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

Tomah Subdivision. Amtrak's ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northe ...

'' crosses this bridge.

History

Prior to its bridging, the Mississippi River connected the country north to south, but was an obstacle for those going east to west. The railroad relied on ferry boats to transport rail cars across the river into La Crosse, which cost a considerable amount of money and time. In addition, many of the ferry boats were unreliable because they had no fixed schedule. In the early 1800s, it was difficult to construct bridges, as they needed to provide enough clearance for the abundance of steamboats on the river. In the winter months when the river froze over and boat traffic stopped, the railroad would lay down seasonal tracks across the ice and remove them by spring.

Rock Island Bridge

In 1856, the first swing bridge to span the Mississippi river was constructed in Rock Island, Illinois, upstream of the place where

Government Bridge The Government Bridge or Arsenal Bridge spans the Mississippi River, connecting Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. The Iowa Interstate Railroad uses the upper deck of the bridge for its ex-Chicago and Rock Island Railroad route between Co ...

is today. Only a few days after that bridge was opened, a steamboat crashed into it. The boat and bridge caught on fire, and the steamboat owner sued for damages, claiming the bridge was a hazard to navigation. It was defended in court by an Illinois lawyer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln won the case for the railroad, arguing that a person has a much right to build a bridge to cross a river as another person has to travel up and down the water. This victory led to the construction of even more railroad bridges over the Mississippi.

Construction of the La Crosse bridge

The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway had two disconnected segments of a railway between Chicago, Illinois and St. Paul, Minnesota: one rail line from La Crescent, Minnesota to St. Paul, and the other rail line from La Crosse to Milwaukee. The Railroad used the Winona Rail Bridge belonging to the Winona & Saint Peter Railroad, constructed in 1871, until the La Crosse Rail Bridge was built. A charter from Congress in 1872 permitted the railway to construct the bridge. The

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

assumed control of Mississippi crossings. The railroad selected their optimal location in North La Crosse, bridging the Black River to French Island. A group of military engineers had selected a site at the foot of Mt. Vernon Avenue, which was approved by the Secretary of War. Another source states Vine Street for the location. This would have lengthened the railway, required flagged street crossings in downtown La Crosse, and also set the river crossing to the south of La Crescent over property owned by Wall Street speculators. The original 1873 Secretary of War report allowed the railroad company to build at any point selected by the company. After much legal wrangling, final approval for the original desired site was granted by the Wisconsin State Assembly. The initial construction began in June 1876 and was completed five months later in November. In 1876, the bridge cost US$500,000 to build. It paid for itself in a few years, with the railroad saving $90,000 a year in river tolls. Over the years, the La Crosse rail bridge has gone through many changes, including replacement of the original bridge in 1902. The bridge is located over the west channel of the Mississippi River near Shore Acres and links to Minnesota Island. The La Crosse Rail Bridge itself is located entirely on the Minnesota side of the river and is 1,050 feet, 11 inches long. A second bridge connects Minnesota Island to the Wisconsin shore across the Black River.

Present usage

The swing span has a Humpback

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

, while the two adjoining spans are flat-top fixed through trusses. A section of the bridge swings on a pivot point, opening up two 150-foot- wide lanes for river traffic to pass through, similar to a gate. The bridge is operated from a tower and originally ran on steam power. Opening and closing the swing bridge takes about five minutes, which allowed the railroad to build a permanent track across the river to La Crosse without interfering with the towboats and barges that travel up and down the Mississippi. River traffic has the right of way, and the swing bridge must even open for privately owned pleasure crafts or face fines from the Coast Guard. though it is speculated that the railroad would often take the fines over the cost of stopping a train. The La Crosse Rail Bridge has taken a significant amount of abuse over the years. In 2011, it was ranked fourth in most boat-related collisions out of 22 states, 7,500 miles of railway and 1,200 other bridges. One incident was as recent as July 22, 2011, when a barge clipped the side of the bridge and halted river traffic. The Winona bridge became part of the Chicago and Northwestern system. That bridge was used until 1977. The Chicago and Northwestern gained trackage rights to use the La Crosse Rail Bridge. The C & NW successor, Union Pacific, accesses in this manner from Tomah to Winona.

Proposed alteration

The Coast Guard has proposed alterations to the bridge. The proposed plan would remove the swing bridge and install a lift span and create a 65-foot clearance and open a 300-foot wide lane for the boats. The alterations would move the bridge opening away from the shore line to the center of the channel. The Coast Guard has dropped plans to alter the bridge. File:La_crosse_rail_bridge_alteration.png, A new 300 foot wide lift span in the center of the main channel. File:La_crosse_CP_option_1.png, New 300' lift span with two new piers added File:La_Crosse_CP_bridge_option_4.png, New 300' lift span in place of swing bridge

Gallery

File:BNSF cross the La Crescent MN swing bridge.JPG File:La_Crosse_CP_rail_bridge.jpeg

References

Bibliography

External links

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = La Crosse Rail Bridge , bridge signs = ''Canadian Pacific Railway'' , upstream =

I-90 Mississippi River Bridge The I-90 Mississippi River Bridge, or the Dresbach Bridge, consists of a pair of parallel bridges that traverse the Mississippi River, connecting the La Crosse, Wisconsin, La Crosse, Wisconsin area to Dresbach, Minnesota, Dresbach in rural Winona ...

, upstream signs = , downstream = Mississippi River Bridge , downstream signs = ---- La Crosse West Channel Bridge
Truss bridges in the United States Swing bridges in the United States Railroad bridges in Minnesota Railroad bridges in Wisconsin Bridges over the Mississippi River Bridges completed in 1876 Canadian Pacific Railway bridges in the United States Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Buildings and structures in Houston County, Minnesota Buildings and structures in La Crosse, Wisconsin Interstate railroad bridges in the United States