The Julien Dubuque Bridge is a bridge over the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

that connects

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

and East Dubuque, Illinois. The bridge is part of U.S. Route 20 (US 20). It is one of two automobile bridges over the Mississippi in the area (the

Dubuque–Wisconsin Bridge The Dubuque–Wisconsin Bridge is a steel Tied arch bridge, Tied-arch automobile bridge connecting Dubuque, Iowa, with still largely rural Grant County, Wisconsin, over the Mississippi River. It is one of two automobile bridges in the Dubuque ar ...

north links Dubuque with

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

), and is listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Description

The Julien Dubuque Bridge is a light grey color. The bridge spans and is 28 feet wide. The longest span is 845 feet.

History

For a number of years, people living in the area wanted a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

to replace the old bridge, which was called either the "High Bridge" or the "Wagon Bridge." However, economic conditions at the time made it difficult to get the financing together to build a new bridge. During World War II, a new bridge became even more important as it would help facilitate military transportation. In 1942, the first parts of the bridge began construction. In 1943, the bridge was completed. It was painted gray to decrease visibility of the bridge for enemies. Because the bridge was financed with bonds, it initially operated as a toll bridge. Money from the tolls was used to repay the debts. Large traffic paid the debts 11 years ahead of schedule and the bridge was toll free by 1954. In the early 1990s, the bridge underwent an extensive renovation. The deck was replaced, and a new walkway was installed. Prior to this renovation, the bridge was dark green; however, it again was painted a light gray that is currently maintained. Prior to the construction of the Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge, the Julien Dubuque Bridge also carried US 61 and US 151. This resulted in both of these highways passing a short distance through

Jo Daviess County, Illinois Jo Daviess County () is the northwesternmost county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 22,035. Its county seat is Galena, Illinois, Galena. Jo ...

, between Dubuque and Wisconsin. Now both highways cross the Mississippi on the Dubuque–Wisconsin Bridge, which directly connects Wisconsin and Iowa, and neither US 61 nor US 151 passes through Illinois. On June 9, 2008, the bridge was struck by a number of runaway

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s shortly after 8 p.m. Fifteen barges—which were loaded with

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

s, and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

—struck one of the pillars on the eastern side of the main channel. Unsure of whether the bridge was stable, authorities temporarily closed it until an inspection could be performed. Traffic was rerouted on to the Dubuque–Wisconsin Bridge a few miles to the north.

References

{{Authority control Through arch bridges in the United States Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Bridges completed in 1943 Bridges over the Mississippi River Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Jo Daviess County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa Culture of Dubuque, Iowa Transportation in Dubuque, Iowa U.S. Route 20 Continuous truss bridges in the United States Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa Transportation buildings and structures in Jo Daviess County, Illinois Great River Road Former toll bridges in Illinois Former toll bridges in Iowa Bridges in Dubuque County, Iowa Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States

Description

History

See also

References