Short Line Bridge (Minneapolis, MN)

The Short Line Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Mississippi River between Minneapolis, Minnesota and St. Paul, Minnesota. It was built in 1902 (replacing the original bridge which opened on December 4, 1880.) by Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad (later CMStP&P) and was designed by American Bridge Company.

The name "Short Line" comes from the Milwaukee Road's construction of a shorter, more direct connection between St. Paul and Minneapolis. Previously, the connection was made via a line that headed southwest along the Mississippi River, then turning north at Mendota and going northwest via Fort Snelling to downtown Minneapolis. The "Short Line" was part of a number of construction projects in the 1880s that also included a roundhouse and yard near the present-day junction of Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, as well as a line to the west just north of Lake Street (today's Midtown Greenway).

As railroad traffic became less important in the Twin Cities in the latter part of the 20th century, the Milwaukee Road gradually abandoned several of its lines in the area. The bridge is still used today by the Minnesota Commercial Railway to service grain elevators along Hiawatha Avenue. There has been some discussion about using the bridge as a connection for the Midtown Greenway across the Mississippi River, but Canadian Pacific Railway (the successor to the Milwaukee Road) has not been receptive to the idea.

In July of 2006, there was a severe fire on the bridge, which caused $200,000 in damage, closing down rail traffic until it can be repaired. Originally, the cause was thought to have been small fireworks, but later appeared to be arson, by dousing the bridge in gasoline. The bridge, in the specific spot can only hold at maximum 50 pounds of weight. Local Authorities, to prevent people from hurting themselves, now patrol each side of the bridge, from 6:00 pm - 6:00 am daily. There had been a smaller fire, at an unknown date, prior to this incident.

reference:
www.johnweeks.com/twincities/pages/r05.html

Railroad bridges were built at 56 locations to cross the Mississippi River,
and 36 of these crossings are still in use by freight railroads.
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