Design Truss bridge Clearance below 19 m Bridge type Truss bridge Body of water Mississippi River | Opened 1988 Total length 750 m Location Wabasha | |
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Carries Two lanes of MN 60 and WIS 25 ID number 79000 (Minnesota), B-6-0079 (Wisconsin) Similar Red Wing Bridge, Main Channel Bridge (W, Lock and Dam No 5, Lock and Dam No 5A, Lock and Dam No 6 | ||
The Wabasha–Nelson Bridge bridges is a truss bridge that connects Wabasha, Minnesota with Nelson, Wisconsin. It is an automobile bridge that traverses the Mississippi River.
The bridge has a street setup, with one lane in either direction. It carries Minnesota State Highway 60 and WI 25 in either direction.
The current bridge replaced a bridge built in 1931 that was only 19 feet wide and had two right angles on the Minnesota side. The bridge was constructed in a unique way: the 470-foot truss span was built on falsework on two barges out of the current and the main river channel. When the truss section was completed, engineers floated the span on its barges down the river. The bridge was positioned higher than the supports so it could be brought into place. Once the span was in place, they flooded the barges to bring the bridge into position vertically. This operation took only eight hours to complete.