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Interstate Bridge

St. Louis County, Minnesota, and Douglas County, Wisconsin
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Photos 

Overall view of truss structure

These photos were taken with an i-phone and are not the best--also, access is only possible from the pier underneath, and as such, detail shots of the truss are very limited.

Photo taken by Matthew Lohry in March 2011

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Map 

Description 

This enormous and impressive pin-connected Parker through truss span is all that remains of the bridge that once carried a railroad and U.S. Hwy. 53 across the Duluth Harbor/St. Louis River. It once had an identical Parker truss span at the southern end and a very long and massive swing span joining them together. This bridge was replaced by the Blatnik Bridge, which itself is very beautiful and, being built in 1961, has almost itself achieved historic status. Most of the bridge was demolished in the '70's to make way for ship traffic, but this truss span and most of the northern approach were left in place and abandonded for several decades until being converted to a fishing pier sometime within the last decade. The new pier is suspended from the flooring system of the remaining Parker truss span and ends at the pier supporting the truss span. Access from shore is done with a ramp that runs through the original timber bents that supported the railroad (the inner verticals were removed). This is a very innovative and creative way to allow up-close viewing of this historic and impressive bridge.

Facts 

Overview
Parker through truss bridge over St. Louis River on Fishing pier (former railroad, US 53)
Location
Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota, and Douglas County, Wisconsin
Status
Open to pedestrians
History
Built 1897; swing span replaced 1906; replaced by Blatnik Bridge 1961, all but northern span removed 1970's
Design
Parker through truss
Also called
St. Louis River Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+46.75048, -92.10042   (decimal degrees)
46°45'02" N, 92°06'02" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/568708/5177829 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Duluth
Inventory number
BH 48443 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Beam (6,042)
Built 1906 (360)
Built during 1900s (4,246)
Douglas County, Wisconsin (19)
Duluth, Minnesota (27)
Minnesota (916)
Open to Pedestrians (2,084)
Owned by city (3,049)
Parker through truss (947)
Parker truss (1,267)
 Preserved (652)
Rail-to-trail (494)
Railroad (4,070)
St. Louis County, Minnesota (66)
State line crossing (513)
Through truss (9,205)
Timber stringer (1,858)
Truss (23,566)
Wisconsin (804)

Update Log 

  • August 10, 2012: Updated by John Marvig: Added categories "Rail-to-trail", "railroad"
  • March 19, 2011: Added by Matthew Lohry

Sources 

  • Matt Lohry

Comments 

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