The photo above shows the end of Point Douglas. Looking north and west, the point is at the far end of the railroad life bridge. The Mississippi River flows on the left side of the bridge. The Saint Croix river flows under the lift bridge from the right. The parking lot with the cars is in Wisconsin. Minnesota is on both the left side of the Mississippi, and on the far end of the bridge between the Mississippi and Saint Croix. Below this point, the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin is the Mississippi River. Above this point, the border is the Saint Croix river.

This is one industrial strength bridge. Everything is massive, from the steel in the truss sections, the large counterweights, the massive towers, and the huge motor assemblies at the top of the towers. The bridge has to be strong to endure the pounding that it takes day in and day out. The trains come through here about every 10 minutes, and they don't slow down below 40 miles per hour. Given all the recreational boating in the summer, the bridge is operated frequently.

Given the volume of trains, and the public parking right next to the tracks, this is a great place to go train watching. Just be careful to keep off of the tracks. A fast moving train that is throttled down can sneak up on you before you know what has hit you. Trains hit this bridge going about 40 miles per hour. Most of the trains are large cross-country freight trains of 60 to 120 cars. You will see mixed freight trains, container cars, and coal unit trains in this area. I have seen trains cross this bridge as frequently as once every 11 minutes, so you normally do not have to wait very long to see some railroad action up close and personal. Just be careful to stay off the tracks and away from the bridge since trains are not forgiving. If you cross the tracks, do not step on the rails. The rails are heavily used, and as a result, very slippery. If you slip, note that the other rail is about as far away as a person is tall, so there is a chance of hitting your head or neck on the other rail. If you get knocked out, you will be on the tracks when the next train arrives.

The BNSF lift bridge replaced an earlier swingspan built by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad. The CB&Q is one of the three large railroads that merged to form the Burlington Northern. The BN has since merged with the Santa Fe to become the BNSF.