__NOTOC__ The Wabash Bridge carries one 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

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...

, and

Pike County, Illinois Pike County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located between the Mississippi River and the Illinois River in western Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 14,739. Its county seat is Pitts ...

. Built by the

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

, the bridge is today owned by the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

. On May 3, 1982, the towboat ''Northern King'' lost power in one engine while pushing 12 grain-filled barges in heavy currents. The craft struck a truss span, which collapsed into the river, entangling the tug and several barges and halting river traffic for nine hours. Three barges broke loose and drifted downstream, missing

Mark Twain Memorial Bridge The Mark Twain Memorial Bridge is a bridge over the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri, childhood home of Mark Twain, for whom the bridge is named. The bridge, north of the original bridge, was finished in 2000. The bridge carries traff ...

. The bridge, then owned by

Norfolk and Western Railway The Norfolk and Western Railway , commonly called the N&W, was a US class I railroad, formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, for most of its existence. Its motto was "Precisio ...

, predecessor of the current owner, was repaired. Built as a swing span, the bridge was converted in 1994 to 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 swi ...

to increase the width of the navigational channel. The vertical lift span was taken from a bridge over the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

Florence, Alabama Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner, and had a population of 40,184 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Florence is l ...

. To minimize the effect on river traffic, the new span was installed over the course of three days. Before the

opened in 1936, the Wabash Bridge was also a

toll bridge A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...

carrying

U.S. Route 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an inte ...

across the river.

Gallery

File:Norfolk Southern railroad bridge leading to Hannibal during 2008 flood.jpg, Bridge during

June 2008 Midwest floods The June 2008 Midwestern United States floods were flooding events which affected portions of the Midwestern United States. After months of heavy precipitation, a number of rivers overflowed their banks for several weeks at a time and broke th ...

. Normally, there is about 20 feet clearance below the bridge.Upper Mississippi River Navigation Charts - Map079-A

References

External links

Hannibal's HistoryAmerican Bridge projects - Hannibal
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Marion County, Missouri Bridges in Pike County, Illinois Railroad bridges in Missouri Railroad bridges in Illinois Bridges over the Mississippi River Norfolk Southern Railway bridges Wabash Railroad Vertical lift bridges in Missouri Vertical lift bridges in Illinois Former toll bridges in Illinois Former toll bridges in Missouri Truss bridges in the United States Interstate railroad bridges in the United States

Gallery

See also

References

External links