The first bridge at this location was built by the Milwaukee Road in 1871. It was a swing bridge. The purpose of the bridge here is to carry rail traffic that travels the west side of the Mississippi River back to the east side to enter St. Paul.
The Milwaukee Road replaced the century old swing bridge with a vertical lift bridge in 1981. What looks like old beast of a bridge is actually a relatively modern machine. The rail line is now used by the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The Amtrak Empire Builder also crosses the Mississippi here on its way between Minneapolis and Chicago, only to cross back to the east side in La Crosse.
Even though it has been many years since the Milwaukee Road operated trains, the Milwaukee Road logos are still proudly displayed on the top of each of lift towers.
