St. Paul Union Pacific Rail Bridge
Encyclopedia
St. Paul Union Pacific Rail Bridge is a swing bridge
that spans the Mississippi River
between South Saint Paul, Minnesota and Saint Paul, Minnesota
. It was built in 1910 by the St. Paul Bridge and Terminal Railway, and was rebuilt in 1925, after a flood in 1951, and again in 1982. Access to the bridge is very limited, because there are active railroad yards on both sides of the bridge.
The Union Pacific Railroad
mainline from Des Moines, informally known as the "Spine Line", enters the Twin Cities area and terminates in a yard in South Saint Paul. This line was formerly part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
. From this area, traffic to downtown St. Paul takes two routes: one across this bridge, with yards on the east side of the river south of Dayton's Bluff; and the other route using the St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge
into downtown St. Paul.
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...
that spans 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...
between South Saint Paul, Minnesota and Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. It was built in 1910 by the St. Paul Bridge and Terminal Railway, and was rebuilt in 1925, after a flood in 1951, and again in 1982. Access to the bridge is very limited, because there are active railroad yards on both sides of the bridge.
The Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
mainline from Des Moines, informally known as the "Spine Line", enters the Twin Cities area and terminates in a yard in South Saint Paul. This line was formerly part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
. From this area, traffic to downtown St. Paul takes two routes: one across this bridge, with yards on the east side of the river south of Dayton's Bluff; and the other route using the St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge
St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge
The St. Paul Union Pacific Vertical-lift Rail Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. This is one of only three vertical-lift bridges along the Mississippi River, along with the Hastings Rail Bridge in Hastings, Minnesota and the Wabash...
into downtown St. Paul.