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DWP Trail - Stewart Creek Bridge

St. Louis County, Minnesota

Photos 

Image

Photo taken by Matthew Johnson

Enlarge

BH Photo #323771

Map 

Facts 

Overview
Deck plate girder bridge over Stweart Creek on DWP Trail
Location
Smithville, St. Louis County, Minnesota
Status
Open to pedestrians only
History
Built 1911, Abandoned 1984
Railroad
- Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway (DWP)
Design
Deck plate girder
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 47.0 ft.
Total length: 238.0 ft.
Also called
Rickety Old Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+46.70250, -92.22095   (decimal degrees)
46°42'09" N, 92°13'15" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/559555/5172399 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
West Duluth
Inventory number
BH 58440 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Built 1911 (845)
Built during 1910s (10,226)
DWP Trail (4)
Deck girder (6,580)
Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway (17)
Girder (11,622)
Minnesota (1,680)
Open to pedestrians (4,692)
 Owned by county (21,995)
Plate girder (9,133)
Rail-to-trail (1,677)
Railroad (16,981)
Smithville, Minnesota (1)
Span length 25-50 feet (16,472)
St. Louis County, Minnesota (148)
Total length 175-250 feet (4,693)

Update Log 

  • March 22, 2020: New photos from Matthew Johnson
  • February 29, 2020: New photos from Matthew Johnson
  • November 19, 2019: Updated by Matthew Johnson: Bridge was rehabbed in 2017-2018. New timber deck was installed and side railings. Also the concrete foundations were reinforced and stabilized.
  • May 1, 2015: New photo from Matthew Johnson
  • April 30, 2015: New photo from Matthew Johnson
  • October 15, 2013: Added by John Marvig

Sources 

  • John Marvig - marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Matthew Johnson
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Comments 

DWP Trail - Stewart Creek Bridge
Posted August 1, 2015, by John Marvig

In addition, I would like to add that just because it's rusty doesn't mean it's not safe. Rust is common. When it becomes more advanced corrosion, eating through significant portions of the structure or internal bracing, then it's serious. I haven't personally seen this structure yet, but it doesn't appear to be serious.

DWP Trail - Stewart Creek Bridge
Posted August 1, 2015, by Matt Lohry

Anon is right; the piers were designed this way to accommodate a ravine. If these were actually falling over, the steel bents would be lifted off of the piers on one side. It's plain to see that the bents are built with an offset at the bottom to attach to the concrete piers.

DWP Trail - Stewart Creek Bridge
Posted July 28, 2015, by Anonymous

I'm pretty sure those piers are just skewed to compensate for the elevation, it's just the fact that the photograph is also askew that makes it appear as if they're falling over.

DWP Trail - Stewart Creek Bridge
Posted July 27, 2015, by Erik Hoffman

Personally I think that this bridge isn't safe for pedestrians or anything else because it's all rusted to heck and the piers are falling over.