The Keithsburg Bridge was a

vertical lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swin ...

that carried a single railroad track across 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 ...

between

Louisa County, Iowa Louisa County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,837. The county seat is Wapello. Louisa County is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Louisa County wa ...

and

Keithsburg, Illinois Keithsburg is a city in Mercer County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 550 at the 2020 census, down from 609 in 2010. It was named for Robert Keith, a pioneer settler. Due to a flood in 1993, there isn't mu ...

. The bridge was constructed for the

Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&StL) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota for 90 years from 1870 to 1960. The railway never reached ...

in 1909 and traffic across the bridge was discontinued in 1971 by then owner

Chicago and North Western The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

, who had purchased the M&StL in 1960. After the line was abandoned, the vertical lift was locked in the up position for several years until the lift portion was accidentally destroyed by fireworks and the ensuing fire on June 21, 1981. The vertical lift section fell into the river blocking barge traffic on the main channel of the Mississippi River for more than a week until it was removed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The USGS aerial photo from March 2000, and satellite mapping views taken since then, show the bridge standing but missing its vertical lift section. This bridge replaced a previous Iowa Central railroad bridge, constructed in 1886 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, that crossed at the same location. As of 2014, the old stone piers from the previous bridge were still standing next to the current bridge.

References

External links

Keithsburg Railroad Bridge
- John Weeks Bridges over the Mississippi River Railroad bridges in Illinois Railroad bridges in Iowa Truss bridges in the United States Vertical lift bridges in Illinois Vertical lift bridges in the United States 1909 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures in Louisa County, Iowa Buildings and structures in Mercer County, Illinois 1909 establishments in Iowa Interstate railroad bridges in the United States {{Iowa-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links