Hastings Rail Bridge

Hastings Rail Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota. It is one of only four lift spans on the Mississippi River, the others being at Hannibal, Missouri, Burlington, Iowa and in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. It was built in 1981 by Milwaukee Road and was designed by Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff.

Hastings Rail Bridge
A special-excursion passenger train crossing the bridge in 2010.
Coordinates44°44′48″N 92°50′52″W
CarriesOne track of the Canadian Pacific Railway
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleHastings, Minnesota
Maintained byCanadian Pacific Railway
ID numberL-268
Characteristics
DesignLift bridge
Total length1,755 feet (535 m)
WidthOne track
Longest span324 feet (99 m)
Clearance below60 feet (18 m) (span lifted), 21.9 feet (6.7 m) (span down)
History
Opened1981

It crosses the Mississippi river in a north–south orientation from Hastings just upstream of Point Douglas, where the Saint Croix River empties into the Mississippi river. In addition to CP Rail traffic, the bridge also carries Amtrak's Empire Builder across the river.

Another nearby lift bridge is the Prescott BNSF lift bridge, in Prescott, Wisconsin that crosses the St. Croix River. The two tracks converge at the St. Croix interlocking tower.

See also

References

  • Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.