The Dubuque Rail Bridge carries a single rail line 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 fl ...

between

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

, and

East Dubuque, Illinois East Dubuque is a city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,505 at the 2020 census, down from 1,704 in 2010. East Dubuque is located alongside the Mississippi River. Across the river is the city of Dubuque, Iowa. The ...

, near

river mile A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle roa ...

580. It is currently operated by Canadian National Railway as a result of their 1999 purchase of

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

History

The original

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 ...

was constructed by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

and operated by the Dunleith & Dubuque Bridge Company. Going into service in December 1868, it primarily was used by the

. It was rebuilt in the 1890s. The current Dubuque Rail Bridge has 5 spans and a swing-span. It has been altered somewhat over the years, with last rehabilitation in 2012, but so far has retained the fixed center pier.

Operation

Because of a bluff very close to the Mississippi riverbank on the Illinois side, about 1/2 mile south of the bridge the approaching railroad track diverges away from the main tracks (and the river) to enter a 1/4-mile tunnel, which then curves about 90-degrees so the bridge track can cross the continuing tracks running adjacent to the river.

References

External links

USACE.mil Dubuque Rail Bridge clearances
Bridges over the Mississippi River Railroad bridges in Iowa Railroad bridges in Illinois Bridges completed in 1868 Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa Transportation buildings and structures in Jo Daviess County, Illinois Canadian National Railway bridges in the United States Illinois Central Railroad Transportation in Dubuque, Iowa Bridges in Dubuque County, Iowa 1868 establishments in Iowa 1868 establishments in Illinois Interstate railroad bridges in the United States {{Iowa-bridge-struct-stub

History

Operation

See also

References

External links