This bridge has a very interesting history. It was built in 1868 in Burlington, Iowa. It was part of one of the very early Mississippi River crossings. The Burlington, Iowa, bridge was being rebuilt, so one 247-foot span was floated down river to Moline. The span had to be cut shorter, so 45 feet was removed. Despite the surgery, the look of the 1868 span was retained.

The rail bridge was used to haul raw materials and equipment into the Republic Steel Mill, and haul finished steel out of the mill. The mill closed down in the late 1950s. At that time, the rails were removed and wood decking was installed. Since then, the bridge was used once or twice a year to haul coal into the powerplants that connect to Sylvan Island. Today, the bridge sits largely unused.