Minneapolis BNSF Rail Bridge is a combination

plate girder bridge A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. Overview In a plate girder bridge, the plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates (rather than rolled as a single cross-section), ...

and

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

that spans the main channel of 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 fl ...

between downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and

Nicollet Island Nicollet Island is an island in the Mississippi River just north of Saint Anthony Falls in central Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to the United States Census Bureau the island has a land area of and a 2000 census population of 144 persons. T ...

in Minneapolis. It is located adjacent to the current

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

History

It was built in 1893 by the Great Northern Railway and remodeled in 1926. It replaced a bridge built at the same location in 1867 for the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. This was the first Mississippi river railroad crossing in Minneapolis.Nicollet Island Railroad Bridge
Minneapolis Riverfront district - Bridges

Current construction

In 1963, two of the girder spans and a pier were removed, and a Petit truss span was added in its place. This was done to allow upstream navigation past St. Anthony Falls for barges. The Petit truss design is unusual for the Mississippi River and is one of three on the island (Boom Island and Nicollet Island Inn bridges are Petit truss spans, too). The south side of the bridge has an unusual protrusion coming out of it. There was once a curved bridge coming off the end going to the Minneapolis Union Depot (later the

Minneapolis Great Northern Depot The Minneapolis Great Northern Depot, also known as Great Northern Station, was a passenger railroad station which served Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. It was built in 1913 and demolished in 1978. It was located on Hennepin Avenue next to the Hen ...

). When passenger service was discontinued from downtown Minneapolis and West River Parkway was built, the curve and the trackage going to the depot was removed.

Usage

The St. Paul and Pacific Railroad eventually became the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway, then Great Northern Railway, Burlington Northern and eventually the BNSF Railway. It currently serves the branches to Willmar and Monticello, as well as providing access to interchange for the Twin Cities and Western Railway. With the opening of

Northstar Commuter Rail The Northstar Line is a commuter rail route in the US state of Minnesota. Northstar runs from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis at Target Field using existing track and right-of-way owned by the BNSF Railway. Passenger service began on Novemb ...

from its terminus at

Target Field Target Field is a baseball stadium in the North Loop, Minneapolis, historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. Since its opening in 2010, the stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. The stadium hos ...

, the bridge once again carries passenger traffic.

References

External links

* {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Minneapolis BNSF Rail Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream =

Plymouth Avenue Bridge The Plymouth Avenue Bridge is a segmental bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It was built in 1983 and was designed by Van Doren-Hazard-Stallings. The construction of this bridge was unique, for it was the first segmental conc ...

, upstream signs = , downstream =

Hennepin Avenue Bridge The Hennepin Avenue Bridge is the structure that carries Hennepin County State Aid Highway 52, Hennepin Avenue, across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at Nicollet Island. Officially, it is the Father Louis Hennepin Bridge, in hon ...

, downstream signs = Bridges in Minneapolis Bridges over the Mississippi River Railroad bridges in Minnesota Bridges completed in 1893 BNSF Railway bridges Great Northern Railway (U.S.) bridges Concrete bridges in the United States Plate girder bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States Pratt truss bridges in the United States