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Winona Rail Bridge

Bridges completed in 1871Bridges over the Mississippi RiverBuildings and structures in Winona County, MinnesotaChicago and North Western RailwayDemolished bridges in the United States
Historic American Engineering Record in MinnesotaHistoric American Engineering Record in WisconsinInterstate railroad bridges in the United StatesRailroad bridges in MinnesotaRailroad bridges in WisconsinSteel bridges in the United StatesSwing bridges in the United States

The Winona Rail Bridge was a swing bridge that spanned the Mississippi River between Winona, Minnesota, and Winona Junction in Buffalo, Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It was built to link the Winona and St. Peter Railroad with the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad. Both railroads became part of the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company (C&NW). Parts of the bridge are still visible. The swing span was removed, but the box girder portion of the bridge still extends from Latsch Island just downstream of the current Main Channel Bridge. Piers from the original 1871 bridge and the box girders are in the North Channel just downstream of the current North Channel Bridge.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Winona Rail Bridge (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Winona Rail Bridge
Levee Park Bike Trail,

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Latitude Longitude
N 44.056666666667 ° E -91.638833333333 °
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Levee Park Bike Trail

Levee Park Bike Trail
55987
Minnesota, United States
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Main Channel Bridge (Winona)
Main Channel Bridge (Winona)

Main Channel Bridge (Winona) consists of a pair of bridges, the original cantilever bridge, and a concrete box girder bridge completed in 2016, that span the main channel of the Mississippi River in the United States between Winona, Minnesota, and Latsch Island. Another bridge, the North Channel Bridge, connects the island to rural Buffalo County, Wisconsin. The bridge carries Minnesota State Highway 43, which continues as Wisconsin Highway 54 at the Minnesota/Wisconsin state line on the nearby North Channel Bridge; in Winona, it connects to Winona Street. Construction on the original cantilever bridge was started just before the U.S. entered World War II, and the construction was hastened to finish in November 1942, despite labor shortages, difficulty obtaining materials, and high water. It was built in 1941–1942 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). On May 17, 2008, the United States Postal Service announced that the bridge would be on the Minnesota sesquicentennial commemorative stamp.Following an inspection of the bridge's gusset plates, the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed the bridge on June 3, 2008, with over 60-mile-long (97 km) detours as an alternative. The bridge reopened on June 14, 2008. After considering a number of alternatives, including rehabilitation of only the original bridge, or construction of a new bridge and demolition of the original bridge, on August 23, 2012, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced approval for plans to build a new two-lane concrete box girder bridge, prior to rehabilitating the original bridge. Construction of the new bridge began immediately upstream of the cantilever bridge in July 2014, and opened for traffic in August 2016. Following the opening of the new bridge, the original cantilever bridge closed for rehabilitation. The rehabilitated cantilever bridge opened July 1, 2019, allowing 2 lanes in each direction.