Wabasha–Nelson Bridge

Wabasha–Nelson Bridge
The bridge reflected in the Mississippi River, seen from upstream on the Minnesota side
Coordinates	44°23′11″N 92°01′56.5″W / 44.38639°N 92.032361°WCoordinates: 44°23′11″N 92°01′56.5″W / 44.38639°N 92.032361°W
Carries	Two lanes of MN 60 and WIS 25
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Wabasha, Minnesota
Maintained by	Minnesota Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation
ID number	79000 (Minnesota), B-6-0079 (Wisconsin)
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Total length	2462 feet
Longest span	470 feet
Clearance below	62 feet
History
Opened	1988

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.

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

References

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