Rating:
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CP - Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Photos 

Still Very Active

A CPRR northbound freight crosses the bridge. Although it doesn't make river openings anymore, the bridge carries a great deal of rail traffic every day.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2008

Enlarge

BH Photo #117186

Map 

No longer in operation 

Written by J.R. Manning

The Canadian Pacific petitioned the Coast Guard in 2003 to leave the bridge in a closed position, unmanned, because the last time there was a call to open the bridge was June 13, 1997. At the time of the petition, there were no active marine operations west of the bridge that would require opening it.

The Coast Guard does hold the right to call for the bridge to be operational with 12 months notice.

A bridge immediately to the west, that was part of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, has been removed.

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over Kinnickinnic River on Canadian Pacific Railroad
Location
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1898
Railroads
- Canadian Pacific Railway (CP)
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (MILW; CMStP&P; CMStP)
Design
Through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 200.0 ft.
Total length: 285.0 ft.
Also called
MILW - Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+43.00825, -87.90885   (decimal degrees)
43°00'30" N, 87°54'32" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/425930/4762131 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Milwaukee
Inventory number
BH 36733 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (6,770)
Bobtail Swing Bridge (23)
Built 1898 (285)
Built during 1890s (2,696)
Canadian Pacific Railway (495)
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (938)
Kinnickinnic River (9)
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin (147)
Milwaukee Movable Bridges (25)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (96)
Movable (2,826)
 Navigable waterway (2,088)
Open (38,307)
Owned by railroad (10,904)
Railroad (14,213)
Span length 175-250 feet (1,863)
Swing (1,348)
Through truss (13,773)
Total length 250-500 feet (4,832)
Truss (30,835)
Wisconsin (1,363)

Update Log 

  • October 20, 2014: Updated by John Marvig: Added category "Bobtail Swing Bridge"
  • June 16, 2014: Updated by John Marvig: Added information
  • July 23, 2013: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Navigable waterway", "Railroad"
  • November 1, 2009: Updated by J.R. Manning: Corrected ownership
  • July 10, 2008: New photo from J.R. Manning
  • June 30, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
  • June 25, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
  • June 24, 2008: Essay added by J.R. Manning

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
  • Douglas Butler
  • John Marvig - marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com
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Comments 

CMStPP RR Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge
Posted October 3, 2012, by Paul Schwab (pschwab570 [at] charter [dot] net)

I store my sailboat at Southwind Marine, immediately west of the subject bridge, and have done so since 2009. This bridge opens daily, with two hours advanced notice, throughout the entire boating season. (Subject to scheduled RR traffic.)

CMStPP RR Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge
Posted June 17, 2010, by J.R. Manning (thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net)

Gary, the statement about the bridge no longer opening was taken from Coast Guard documentation. If you are operating the bridge, there obviously has been a change in the status that we are not aware of.

CMStPP RR Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge
Posted June 17, 2010, by Gary Huigen (hodag69 [at] charter [dot] net)

as to the comment that the bridge doesn't operate for river traffic anymore, I personally have operated this bridge for boat traffic and can attest that it opened for boat traffic yesterday.

CMStPP RR Kinnickinnic River Swing Bridge
Posted October 29, 2009, by Anonymous

this is actually on the Canadian Pacific (CPRR), not the Canadian National (CNRR)