The bridge at Wegdahl is one of two crossing of the Minnesota River between Granite Falls and Montevideo. This bridge is relatively new, and it is relatively long at just over 500 feet. While the bridge has a concrete deck and the modern slanted concrete guardrails, it also has the older style steel girders. This is likely due to the long spans in the bridge, two of which are 140 feet long. There are no decorative elements in this bridge, it was built purely for function.

These photos were taken during a period of high water where there was the spring runoff combined with a series of unusually heavy rains. The water was about 10 feet higher than it normally is during the summer and fall months. Despite the water being high, it was not moving especially fast. There was a bunch of debris stuck under the bridge and on the piers. It appears to be mostly branches and downed trees.

Not much happens in Wegdahl based on how seldom it appears in news archives. The city mostly existed to support the Milwaukee Road Railroad. The Milwaukee Road merged into the Soo and then the CP, and no longer runs through this area. A small shortline railroad is working to establish regular service. One can see the railroad crossing gates in the distance in the photo above.

Note—one unusual item I noticed is that the NBI number for this bridge does not match MN-DOT ID number. This is the first and only bridge where I have seen that happen in Minnesota. I also wonder why the investment was made to build this bridge when the US-212 bridge is less than 2 miles upstream.