place

Short Line Bridge

Bridges completed in 1902Bridges in MinneapolisBridges over the Mississippi RiverCanadian Pacific Railway bridges in the United StatesChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Mississippi GorgeRailroad bridges in MinnesotaShared-use paths in MinneapolisSteel bridges in the United StatesTruss bridges in the United States
Short Line Bridge, Minneapolis
Short Line Bridge, Minneapolis

The Short Line Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was originally built in the 1880s and upgraded a few years later by Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and was designed by American Bridge Company. The bridge is entirely within Minneapolis but the railroad line crosses into St. Paul less than a half mile to the east. The name "Short Line" comes from the Milwaukee Road's construction of a shorter, more direct connection between St. Paul and Minneapolis. Previously the connection was made via a line that headed southwest along the Mississippi River, north at Mendota and northwest via Fort Snelling to downtown Minneapolis. The "Short Line" was part of a number of construction projects in the 1880s that also included a roundhouse and yard near the present-day junction of Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, as well as a line to the west just north of Lake Street (today's Midtown Greenway). As railroad traffic became less important in the Twin Cities in the latter part of the 20th century, the Milwaukee Road gradually abandoned several of its lines in the area. It still found use for the Short Line Bridge route, however, as did Milwaukee Road successors Soo Line Railroad and Canadian Pacific. The bridge was also used by the Twin Cities and Western Railroad. Through trains continued to cross the bridge until the former Milwaukee Road was severed at Lake Street as part of the reconstruction of Hiawatha Avenue (Minnesota State Highway 55). The bridge is still used today by the Minnesota Commercial Railway to service grain elevators along Hiawatha Avenue. There has been some discussion about using the bridge as a connection for the Midtown Greenway across the Mississippi River, but Canadian Pacific has not been receptive to the idea.In July 2006 there was a severe fire on the bridge which caused $200,000 in damage, closing down rail traffic until it could be repaired. Originally the cause was thought to have been small fireworks, but later appeared to be arson, by dousing the bridge in gasoline. The bridge in the specific spot could only hold at maximum 50 pounds of weight. To prevent people from hurting themselves, local authorities patrolled each side of the bridge from 6:00 pm – 6:00 am in the days following the event. Now a fence blocking access to the bridge states that any trespassers will be fined and/or serve jail time. There was a smaller fire at an unknown date prior to this incident. The bridge was repaired within a few weeks in order to continue to serve a few customers of the west side of the river that had no other rail access aside from this line. Special ties were brought in from across the country to repair the damaged area.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Short Line Bridge (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Short Line Bridge
West River Parkway Trail, Minneapolis Seward

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address External links Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Short Line BridgeContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 44.956388888889 ° E -93.2125 °
placeShow on map

Address

Short Line Bridge

West River Parkway Trail
55406 Minneapolis, Seward
Minnesota, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

linkWikiData (Q1438750)
linkOpenStreetMap (708953537)

Short Line Bridge, Minneapolis
Short Line Bridge, Minneapolis
Share experience

Nearby Places

Meeker Island Lock and Dam
Meeker Island Lock and Dam

The Meeker Island Lock and Dam (originally known as Lock and Dam No. 2) was the first lock and dam facility built on the Upper Mississippi River. Meeker Island was named after its owner Judge Bradley B. Meeker. Meeker County was named after him also. After a construction period lasting eight years, the site was only in operation for five years from 1907 to 1912 when the growing interest in hydroelectric power led to design and construction of today's Lock and Dam No. 1 a few miles downriver. It was realized that the new dam could take over the function provided by this first site and another small dam a short distance downriver. Lock and Dam No. 1 opened in 1917, and a hydroelectric plant was added there in the 1920s to power the Ford Motor Company's Twin Cities Assembly Plant. The Meeker Island dam was demolished, although some ruins of the lock remain. Tops of the old lock walls become visible during low water periods on the river. It is located in the Desnoyer Park neighborhood, north of the Lake Street-Marshall Bridge connecting Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Meeker Island Lock and Dam ruins were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Each year, National Park Service historian Dr. John Anfinson and the Friends of the Mississippi River lead a tour of the lock and dam ruins. In 2005 a $380,000 restoration project began to create a public park near the dam. It was finished in 2007.The historic dam site and off-leash dog park are part of the Mississippi River Gorge Regional Park.

Malcolm Willey House
Malcolm Willey House

The Malcolm Willey House is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built in 1934. Wright named the house "Gardenwall".Malcolm Willey was an administrator at the University of Minnesota. In June 1932, his wife Nancy Willey sent a letter to Wright asking if he would be able to provide them a "creation of art" for a budget of "about $8,000". The current design is the second design that Wright conceived for the Willeys, since the first design proved too costly for the family. The home ended up a modest 1,200 square feet (110 m2) at a cost of $10,000. The Willeys sold the home in 1963 to a family that later sold it to a Wright aficionado who only sporadically occupied the home; when the current owners purchased the home in 2002 it was in need of major restoration which is now complete. The Willey House is primarily built of red brick and cypress. Except for the red linoleum in the kitchen, the rooms on the main floor are floored with mortared brick pavers. A major design feature is the 30-60-90 triangle which shapes the terrace, the skylights, and two clerestory windows in the living room. The house is arranged so that the living room and dining room form a single space: the kitchen was separated from them by plate glass and a group of shelves. This gave a clear view from the kitchen to the living and dining area, allowing Mrs. Willey to watch the rest of the house while in the kitchen. This was an important step away from the historic precedent of compartmentalizing the functions of the house into separate rooms. The house can be considered a bridge between Wright's earlier Prairie School style houses, and his later Usonian style houses, since it incorporates certain elements from both styles.Located at 255 Bedford Street Southeast in the Minneapolis neighborhood of Prospect Park, the home remains private and is only partially visible from public roads. It sits adjacent to a freeway wall blocking it from the sight and sound of nearby Interstate 94; the home originally had a panoramic view of the Mississippi River gorge before the freeway's construction obstructed it in the 1960s. The house hosted the dedication ceremony for Interstate 94 on December 9, 1968.

Prospect Park, Minneapolis
Prospect Park, Minneapolis

Prospect Park is a historic neighborhood within the University community of the U.S. city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The area is bounded by the Mississippi River to the south, the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota to the east, the Burlington Northern railroad yard to the north, and the Stadium Village commercial district of the University of Minnesota to the west. The neighborhood is composed of several districts which include the East River Road area. The 1913 Prospect Park Water Tower is a landmark and neighborhood icon. An urban village once served by streetcar, Prospect Park is now a combination of multiple districts and uses. People live in single-family homes on Tower Hill, as well as apartment housing in the western districts. Estate homes of the early to mid 20th century line East River Road. The SouthEast Industrial Area (SEMI) in the north contains light manufacturing, rail yards and remnant grain silos. University Avenue houses a mix of retail and restaurant businesses from the Stadium Village area. The entire 138-acre (56 ha) core of the neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 as the Prospect Park Residential Historic District for its significance in the theme of social history. It was nominated for its cohesive community spirit, developed—despite the neighborhood's hilly terrain and diverse housing stock—through such innovations as Minneapolis's first community association.

University Avenue (Minneapolis–Saint Paul)
University Avenue (Minneapolis–Saint Paul)

University Avenue is a street that runs through both Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. It begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before its main portion ends in Blaine, Minnesota, although there are stretches of road designated as University Avenue that are north of the Blaine terminus, the final stretch ending near Andree, Minnesota. For many years, the road carried U.S. Highway 12 and U.S. Highway 52 (at least for part of its length), and University Avenue is still a significant thoroughfare in the area. University Avenue originally ran along a line several blocks north of its current location, forming a route that once connected the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota to Hamline University in Saint Paul (hence the name). When the construction of the Minnesota Transfer Railway yards blocked that route, the street was moved one-half mile to the south on the Saint Paul side, to what was then called Melrose Avenue. The old University Avenue route was renamed Minnehaha Avenue, which it remains to this day.Some important neighborhoods the road passes through include Frogtown (officially, the Thomas-Dale neighborhood) and the Midway region, both in Saint Paul. Hubbard Broadcasting and its flagship stations, KSTP-AM-FM-TV, are on University at the border of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. In fact, the sidewalk at the KSTP studios is right on the city/county line. This was one of the highest points in the area, an appropriate site for a radio transmitter. An antenna structure still stands there today, though it is used for microwave links rather than broadcasting (KSTP and most other Twin Cities stations use the Telefarm installation in Shoreview, Minnesota, or the nearby KMSP Tower). A water tower commonly known as the Witch's Hat stands just a few blocks away in Minneapolis's Prospect Park neighborhood. In 1890, the first interurban streetcar link between Minneapolis and Saint Paul used University Avenue and Washington Avenue in Minneapolis. History is now being repeated, as the METRO Green Line light rail connects the two downtowns as well as the University of Minnesota along a similar route. University Avenue carries Ramsey County Road 34 in Saint Paul, and Hennepin County Road 36 in Minneapolis to the junction with I-35W. West and north of Central Avenue, University Avenue carries Minnesota State Highway 47 to the junction with US 10, after which it carries Anoka County Road 51.