The Robert Street Bridge is a reinforced concrete multiple-arch bridge 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 ...

in downtown

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, United States. The bridge is notable for its complex design that was required to accommodate river traffic, the St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge crossing underneath it at an angle, and roadways on the downtown side of St. Paul. The bridge is also notable for a monumental reinforced concrete rainbow arch. The rainbow arch not only provides 62 feet of headroom above the river, but also provides a strong aesthetic focus. It was built in 1924–1926 by Fegles Construction Company, Ltd. and designed by Toltz, King & Day. The bridge was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1989. The bridge as well as Robert Street itself are named after Captain

Louis Roberts Louis Melville Roberts (December 15, 1879 – February 11, 1958) was an American-Canadian politician from Alberta. Early life Louis Melville Roberts was born December 15, 1879 to Scottish parents in Cedar County, Iowa. He attended the Univers ...

, a notable

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

river boat captain, businessman and early settler of Saint Paul, MN. The bridge was commissioned in the early 1920s to replace a wrought-iron span, originally built in 1884–1885, that had become obsolete due to increasing traffic. The engineers who designed the bridge had several obstacles to work around. The tracks of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway, St. Paul Union Depot, and the

Chicago Great Western Railway The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota a ...

mainline were factors. The engineers also had to provide adequate clearance above the river, as defined by the

United States War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

at the time. Finally, the bridge had to clear Second Street in downtown St. Paul and work through a busy manufacturing district at the south end. The location of nearly every pier was dictated by these requirements. As a result, the bridge was designed with a combination of barrel-arch and rib-arch flanking spans and a rainbow arch for the central span. One of the members of the crew building the bridge was

Warren Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney and jurist who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the St. Paul Colleg ...

, future Chief Justice of the United States. Downstream from Wabasha St Bridge

References

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota 1926 establishments in Minnesota Art Deco architecture in Minnesota Bridges completed in 1926 Bridges in Saint Paul, Minnesota Bridges over the Mississippi River Concrete bridges in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Saint Paul, Minnesota Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Through arch bridges in the United States

See also

References