Fort Madison Toll Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Fort Madison Toll Bridge (also known as the Santa Fe Swing Span Bridge for the old Santa Fe
rail line) is a tolled, swinging
truss bridge
bridge over the Mississippi River
that connects Fort Madison, Iowa
and unincorporated Niota, Illinois
. Rail traffic occupies the lower deck of the bridge, while two lanes of road traffic occupy the upper deck. It is widely considered the longest double-deck swing-span bridge in the world. Completed in 1927, it replaced an inadequate combination roadway/single-track bridge completed in 1887. The main river crossing consists of four 270 feet (82.3 m) through truss spans and a swing span made of two equal arms, 266 feet (81.1 m) long. In 1999, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
under the title, Fort Madison Bridge, structure #99001035. It was also documented by the Library of Congress
Historic American Engineering Record, survey number HAER IA-62.
The bridge is the eastern terminus of Iowa Highway 2, and the western terminus of Illinois Route 9
. Iowa 2 runs westwards towards Farmington, Iowa
(23 miles/37 km), while Illinois 9 continues eastwards towards Canton, Illinois
(~80 mi/129 km) and Peoria
(~100 miles/162 km). On July 26, 1927, operations were transferred from the original single track bridge to the current bridge. The first opening for river traffic occurred at 11:58 a.m. on July 26, 1927, for the scow C. W. Howell traveling downriver with no barges attached.
The bridge is privately owned by BNSF Railway
and is the river crossing for the Southern Transcon
, BNSF's Chicago to Southern California main line. About 100 trains are hosted daily on this bridge. Amtrak
's Southwest Chief
crosses the bridge with one eastbound train in the morning and one westbound train in the evening. The station
is two miles (3 km) to the west of the bridge.
Per Coast Guard regulations and the BNSF Fort Madison River Bridge operations manual, river traffic has the right-of-way over train and vehicle traffic on the bridge. The length of time for an opening varies due to weather, river current, size and number of boats, and occasional mechanical problems. A typical opening for a tow with 15 barges will take 15 to 20 minutes. The bridge logs over 2000 openings per year, an average of more than 5 per day.
Bridge toll is charged only to those crossing from Iowa into Illinois, and depends on the type of vehicle and number of axles the vehicle has. As of March 2009, the rates are: motorcycles 50 cents, automobiles and pick-up trucks $1.00, trucks larger than a pick-up truck are $2.00 per axle, not including the first axle, buses and RVs are $4.00, add $1.00 additional to any fee if towing a trailer, bicycles are free and pedestrians are prohibited from walking on the road or rail decks. All fees are cash only, no passes, checks or credit/debit cards are accepted. Also, any legal vehicles over 8 feet (2.4 m) wide and 14 feet (4.3 m) high are prohibited from crossing the bridge. Currently, there is a weight limit of 30 tons and a prohibition of all semi-tractors and any vehicle over 60 feet in length, of any weight, crossing the bridge.
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
rail line) is a tolled, swinging
Swing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
bridge over the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
that connects Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, Iowa
Fort Madison, situated on the Mississippi River, is a city in and one of the county seats of Lee County, Iowa, United States. The other county seat is Keokuk. The population was 10,715 at the 2000 census...
and unincorporated Niota, Illinois
Niota, Illinois
Niota is an unincorporated community in Appanoose Township, Hancock County, Illinois. The community is located on the bank of the Mississippi River and is at the eastern end of the Fort Madison Toll Bridge, which connects Niota to Fort Madison, Iowa. Niota is the western terminus of Illinois Route...
. Rail traffic occupies the lower deck of the bridge, while two lanes of road traffic occupy the upper deck. It is widely considered the longest double-deck swing-span bridge in the world. Completed in 1927, it replaced an inadequate combination roadway/single-track bridge completed in 1887. The main river crossing consists of four 270 feet (82.3 m) through truss spans and a swing span made of two equal arms, 266 feet (81.1 m) long. In 1999, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
under the title, Fort Madison Bridge, structure #99001035. It was also documented by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
Historic American Engineering Record, survey number HAER IA-62.
The bridge is the eastern terminus of Iowa Highway 2, and the western terminus of Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 9
Illinois Route 9 is a cross-state, east–west rural state highway in central Illinois. It runs from the Fort Madison Toll Bridge over the Mississippi River to Iowa in Niota east to State Road 26 at the Indiana border. This is a distance of ....
. Iowa 2 runs westwards towards Farmington, Iowa
Farmington, Iowa
Farmington is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 756 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Farmington is located at , on the east bank of Des Moines River....
(23 miles/37 km), while Illinois 9 continues eastwards towards Canton, Illinois
Canton, Illinois
Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois in the United States. The population was 18,288 as of the 2000 Census. The Canton Micropolitan Statistical Area covers all of Fulton County; it is in turn part of the wider Peoria-Canton, IL Combined Statistical Area .-Geography:Canton is...
(~80 mi/129 km) and Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
(~100 miles/162 km). On July 26, 1927, operations were transferred from the original single track bridge to the current bridge. The first opening for river traffic occurred at 11:58 a.m. on July 26, 1927, for the scow C. W. Howell traveling downriver with no barges attached.
The bridge is privately owned by BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
and is the river crossing for the Southern Transcon
Southern Transcon
The Southern Transcon is a main line of the BNSF Railway between Southern California and Chicago, Illinois. Completed in 1908 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, when it opened the Belen Cutoff in New Mexico and bypassed the steep grades of Raton Pass, it now serves as a mostly...
, BNSF's Chicago to Southern California main line. About 100 trains are hosted daily on this bridge. Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
's Southwest Chief
Southwest Chief
The Southwest Chief is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 2256-mile BNSF route through the Midwestern and Southwestern United States. It runs from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California, passing through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California...
crosses the bridge with one eastbound train in the morning and one westbound train in the evening. The station
Fort Madison (Amtrak station)
The Fort Madison Amtrak station is a train station in Fort Madison, Iowa, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system....
is two miles (3 km) to the west of the bridge.
Per Coast Guard regulations and the BNSF Fort Madison River Bridge operations manual, river traffic has the right-of-way over train and vehicle traffic on the bridge. The length of time for an opening varies due to weather, river current, size and number of boats, and occasional mechanical problems. A typical opening for a tow with 15 barges will take 15 to 20 minutes. The bridge logs over 2000 openings per year, an average of more than 5 per day.
Bridge toll is charged only to those crossing from Iowa into Illinois, and depends on the type of vehicle and number of axles the vehicle has. As of March 2009, the rates are: motorcycles 50 cents, automobiles and pick-up trucks $1.00, trucks larger than a pick-up truck are $2.00 per axle, not including the first axle, buses and RVs are $4.00, add $1.00 additional to any fee if towing a trailer, bicycles are free and pedestrians are prohibited from walking on the road or rail decks. All fees are cash only, no passes, checks or credit/debit cards are accepted. Also, any legal vehicles over 8 feet (2.4 m) wide and 14 feet (4.3 m) high are prohibited from crossing the bridge. Currently, there is a weight limit of 30 tons and a prohibition of all semi-tractors and any vehicle over 60 feet in length, of any weight, crossing the bridge.