Short line bridge
Coordinates: 44 ° 57 ′ 23 " N , 93 ° 12 ′ 45" W.
| Short line bridge | ||
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| Convicted | Minnesota Commercial Railway | |
| Subjugated | Mississippi River | |
| place | Minneapolis , Minnesota | |
| Entertained by | Canadian Pacific Railway | |
| construction | Truss bridge made of steel | |
| overall length | 324 m | |
| width | 7 m (2 tracks) | |
| Longest span | 99 m | |
| Clear height | 23 m | |
| opening | 1902 | |
| planner | American Bridge Company | |
| location | ||
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| Mississippi Bridges in Minneapolis / St. Paul | ||
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The Short Line Bridge is a truss bridge made of steel , which the Mississippi River in Minneapolis , Minnesota crossed. It was originally built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad during the 1880s and expanded a few years later. The planning of the structure is carried out by the American Bridge Company .
The bridge is entirely within the city of Minneapolis, but the railroad enters the Saint Paul metropolitan area less than half a mile east . The name "Short Line" is derived from the time when a shorter, direct connection between the two cities was built by the railway company. Previously, the connection consisted of a route that ran along the river to the southwest and then ran north from Mendota and northwest from Fort Snelling to central Minneapolis. This short stretch was a series of construction projects during the period that included a roundhouse and depot near the current intersection of Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, as well as a railway line to the west that was north of Lake Street where is now the Midtown Greenway .
After rail traffic between the Twin Cities became less important towards the end of the 20th century, the railroad company closed several of its rail lines in the area. The bridge is still by the Minnesota Commercial Railway used to grain silos to feed along the Hiawatha Avenue. It had been considered to use the bridge as a connection across the river as part of the Midtown Greenway, but the owner of the structure - now the Canadian Pacific Railway - was not receptive to the proposal.
In July 2006, a major fire on the bridge caused damage of around US $ 200,000 . The railway traffic had to rest until the repair. The cause of the fire was arson and fire accelerators were found. Due to the fire, the bridge only had a load-bearing capacity of around 25 kg at the point in question. The authorities cordoned off the bridge and meanwhile a sign on the fence warns against unauthorized entry of the building, which is punishable by fines and, in severe cases, imprisonment. Within a few weeks after the fire, the bridge was repaired so that the customers of the railway company west of the river, who otherwise have no other option for a siding, could be served again.
Individual evidence
- Mary Charlotte Costello: Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge. Volume 2: Minnesota. MC Costello, Davenport IA 2002, ISBN 0-9644518-2-4 .
- Don L. Hofsommer: Minneapolis and the age of railways. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis MN et al. 2005, ISBN 0-8166-4501-9 .
- Cyn Collins: The Bike Stops Here . In: The Bridge. Neighborhood News Spanning the River . 2005. Retrieved April 19, 2006.
- Esme Murphy: Police Say Fireworks Started Railway Bridge Fire . WCCO TV. 2006. Retrieved July 20, 2006.
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Upstream Franklin Avenue Bridge |
Crossing the Mississippi River |
Downriver Lake Street Bridge |