The backchannel bridge is little more than a railroad trestle. Sulphur Lake has never been navigable, so there is no need to provide a span or even place for a boat to cross under the structure.
What is interesting about this location is that there are five bridges within a half-mile of each other, all with the goal of crossing the Minnesota River. Despite the common mission, we find 5 different bridge styles. We have a short but wide through truss, and long and narrow through truss bridge, a prestressed concrete bridge, a steel girder bridge, and this wooden trestle structure.
