Wabasha-Nelson Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Wabasha–Nelson Bridge bridges is a truss bridge
that connects Wabasha, Minnesota
with Nelson, Wisconsin
. It is an automobile bridge that traverses the Mississippi River.
The bridge has a street setup, with one lane in either direction. It carries Minnesota State Highway 60
and WI 25 in either direction.
The current bridge replaced a bridge built in 1931 that was only 19 feet wide and had two right angles on the Minnesota side. The bridge was constructed in a unique way: the 470-foot truss span was built on falsework
on two barges out of the current and the main river channel. When the truss section was completed, engineers floated the span on its barges down the river. The bridge was positioned higher than the supports so it could be brought into place. Once the span was in place, they flooded the barges to bring the bridge into position vertically. This operation took only eight hours to complete.
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...
that connects Wabasha, Minnesota
Wabasha, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,599 people, 1,062 households, and 665 families residing in the city. The population density was 318.4 people per square mile . There were 1,166 housing units at an average density of 142.9 per square mile...
with Nelson, Wisconsin
Nelson, Wisconsin
Nelson is a village in Buffalo County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 395 at the 2000 census. The village is surrounded by the Town of Nelson....
. It is an automobile bridge that traverses the Mississippi River.
The bridge has a street setup, with one lane in either direction. It carries Minnesota State Highway 60
Minnesota State Highway 60
Minnesota State Highway 60 is a highway in southern Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 60 at the Iowa state line and continues east-northeast to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line , where the route becomes Wisconsin Highway 25 upon crossing the Mississippi River.Highway 60 is...
and WI 25 in either direction.
The current bridge replaced a bridge built in 1931 that was only 19 feet wide and had two right angles on the Minnesota side. The bridge was constructed in a unique way: the 470-foot truss span was built on falsework
Falsework
Falsework consists of temporary structures used in construction to support spanning or arched structures in order to hold the component in place until its construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself...
on two barges out of the current and the main river channel. When the truss section was completed, engineers floated the span on its barges down the river. The bridge was positioned higher than the supports so it could be brought into place. Once the span was in place, they flooded the barges to bring the bridge into position vertically. This operation took only eight hours to complete.