The Veterans Bridge river crossing connects 1st Ave on the south to St. Germain St on the north. As a result, this bridge has long been called the St. Germain Bridge. The official name is the Veterans Bridge. It was the primary Mississippi River crossing in St. Cloud until the DeSoto Bridge opened just down stream.

The bridge crosses the river at a slight angle. But to prevent problems with ice and scour, the piers are set parallel to the water flow. The look ends up a bit unusual, the bridge is set at one angle, and the piers are set at yet another angle. Both the steel girders and hand rails are painted black, just like the DeSoto bridge. It looks sharp on this bridge given the contrast with the white concrete.

According to the Mary Costello book (Climbing The Mississippi River Bridge By Bridge, Volume 2), the first river crossing was a ferry, followed by a wooden toll bridge in 1867, and an iron bridge in 1887. The 1887 bridge was replaced in 1894 deck truss bridge that was designed for wagons and street cars. It must have been impressive to see these two deck truss bridges standing next to each other from 1958 to 1970.