__NOTOC__ The Wabash Bridge carries one railroad track across 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

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,312, making it the largest city in Marion County. The bulk of the city is in Mario ...

, and

Pike County, Illinois Pike County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 16,430. Its county seat is Pittsfield. History Pike County was formed in January 1821 out of Madison County. It was named ...

. Built by the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

, the bridge is today owned by the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

. On May 3, 1982, the towboat ''Northern King'' lost power in one engine while pushing 12 grain-filled barges in heavy currents. The craft struck a truss span, which collapsed into the river, entangling the tug and several barges and halting river traffic for nine hours. Three barges broke loose and drifted downstream, missing

Mark Twain Memorial Bridge The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge is a bridge over the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri, childhood home of Mark Twain, for whom the bridge is named. The bridge, north of the original bridge, was finished in 2000. The bridge carries traffi ...

. The bridge, then owned by

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

, predecessor of the current owner, was repaired. Built as a

swing span 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 ...

, the bridge was converted in 1994 to 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 ...

to increase the width of the navigational channel. The vertical lift span was taken from a bridge over the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...

. To minimize the effect on river traffic, the new span was installed over the course of three days. Before the

opened in 1936, the Wabash Bridge was also a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or ''toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road. ...

carrying

U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...

across the river.

Gallery

File:Norfolk Southern railroad bridge leading to Hannibal during 2008 flood.jpg, Bridge during

June 2008 Midwest floods The June 2008 Midwestern United States floods were flooding events which affected portions of the Midwestern United States. After months of heavy precipitation, a number of rivers overflowed their banks for several weeks at a time and broke thro ...

. Normally, there is about 20 feet clearance below the bridge.Upper Mississippi River Navigation Charts - Map079-A

References

External links

Hannibal's HistoryAmerican Bridge projects - Hannibal
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Wabash Bridge , bridge signs = ''Norfolk Southern Railway'' , upstream =

Quincy Memorial Bridge The Quincy Memorial Bridge is a truss bridge over the Mississippi River in Quincy, Illinois. It brings eastbound U.S. Highway 24 into the city of Quincy from Missouri. It was built in 1930, initially as a toll bridge, and remains structurally so ...

, upstream signs = US 24

East , downstream =

, downstream signs = I-72

Buildings and structures in Marion County, Missouri Bridges in Pike County, Illinois Railroad bridges in Missouri Railroad bridges in Illinois Bridges over the Mississippi River Norfolk Southern Railway bridges Wabash Railroad Vertical lift bridges in Missouri Vertical lift bridges in Illinois Former toll bridges in Illinois Former toll bridges in Missouri Truss bridges in the United States Interstate railroad bridges in the United States

Gallery

See also

References

External links