US-8 is the major highway that runs east and west across northern Wisconsin. On the Minnesota side of the border, US-8 and US-61 were once the key routes feeding the Twin Cities from the north. That role is now handled by I-35.

US-8 crosses the Saint Croix river at an interesting spot. It is the very north end of the Saint Croix Dalles area, a spot where the river has cut a deep channel through a stretch of very hard rock. Most of this channel was cut when glacial Lake Duluth emptied. This left a deep gorge for the river to flow through. It also resulted in a very narrow but very deep river. The Saint Croix often runs 70 feet deep in this area, with pools that are over 100 feet deep.

The US-8 bridge is a somewhat uncommon steel girder design. It isn't that steel girder bridges are uncommon, it is that they are rare in Minnesota. The state Department of Transportation greatly prefers to use pre-stressed concrete girders. The use of steel does add some interesting features and color under the bridge. That really adds to the appeal of an otherwise uninteresting bridge located in a very interesting and scenic location.