This bridge is one of the first 15 bridges to cross the Mississippi River. The bridge was built as a truss bridge in 1876. It was replaced with a swing span in 1902. That swing span was removed in 2004 and replaced with a bascule draw lift bridge. This is the only draw bridge on the Mississippi River. It mainly serves recreational boat traffic, much of it generated by the nearby marinas. The bridge operates an estimated 2,000 times per year.

The Black river was once a separate river that converged into the Mississippi River near downtown La Crosse. When Lock & Dam #7 was built, the Mississippi River captured the Black River about 10 miles upstream. The Black River channel remains wetlands in areas, is used as farmland in some areas, and the three miles now carry the combined Mississippi River and Black River flows.

This bridge is part of a total of 4 bridges that make up the La Crosse railroad crossing. These bridges are, moving east, the Main Channel Rail Bridge, East Channel Rail Bridge, French Slough Rail Bridge, and this, the Black River Channel Rail Bridge. These bridges were built the Milwaukee Road, which merged with the Soo Line, which has since been bought out by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The La Crosse rail bridge is one of three places that the Amtrack Empire Builder passenger train crosses the Mississippi River (the other two are Hastings, MN, and Little Falls, MN).