The Wabasha–Nelson Bridge is a
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 connects
Wabasha, Minnesota
Wabasha is a city and the county seat of Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,559 at the time of the 2020 census. It is on the Mississippi River, near its confluence with the Zumbro River.
Name
Wabasha is named afte ...
with
Nelson, Wisconsin
Nelson is a village in Buffalo County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 374 at the 2010 census. The village is surrounded by the Town of Nelson.
Nelson is located at the junction of the Mississippi River and Chippewa River val ...
, crossing the Mississippi River. The bridge has a street setup, with one lane for motor vehicles in each direction. It carries
Minnesota State Highway 60
Trunk Highway 60 (MN 60) is a highway in southern Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 60 at the Iowa state line (at Bigelow) and continues east-northeast to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line (at Wabasha), where the ro ...
and
WI 25.
The current bridge replaced a bridge built in 1931 that was only 19 feet wide and had two right angles on the Minnesota side. The bridge was constructed in a unique way: the 470-foot truss span was built on
falsework
Falsework consists of temporary structures used in construction to support a permanent structure until its construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself. For arches, this is specifically called centering. Falsework includes temporary ...
on two barges out of the current and the main river channel. When the truss section was completed, engineers floated the span on its barges down the river. The bridge was positioned higher than the supports so it could be brought into place. Once the span was in place, the barges were flooded to bring the bridge into position vertically. This operation took only eight hours to complete.
Through legislation passed in 2014, the bridge was named "Michael Duane Clickner Memorial Bridge", honoring a Wabasha native killed during the Vietnam War.
See also
*
List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River
This is a list of all current and notable former bridges or other crossings of the Upper Mississippi River, Upper Mississippi River which begins at the Mississippi River's source and extends to its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinoi ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wabasha-Nelson Bridge
Truss bridges in the United States
Road bridges in Minnesota
Bridges over the Mississippi River
Bridges completed in 1931
Bridges completed in 1988
Buildings and structures in Wabasha County, Minnesota
Transportation in Wabasha County, Minnesota
Road bridges in Wisconsin
Wabasha, Minnesota
Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States