- 1871: 72 miles completed from Hastings to Glencoe, Minnesota by the Hastings & Dakota Railway
- 1872: 72 miles from Hastings to Glencoe, Minnesota sold to the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
- 1874: Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway changes name to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee Road)
- 1880: 128 miles completed from Glencoe to Ortonville, Minnesota by the Hastings & Dakota Railway
- 1880: H&D purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
- 1880: 69 miles completed from Ortonville to Brisol, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1881: 10 miles completed from Bristol to Andover, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road. This segment was difficult to build, due to the massive plateau and an elevation change of 400 feet
- 1881: 10 miles completed from Bristol to Andover, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1882: 30 mile "Benton Cutoff" completed from Minneapolis to Cologne, Minnesota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1882: 29 miles completed from Andover to Aberdeen, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1883: 26 miles completed from Aberdeen to Ipswich, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1885: 30 miles completed from Ipswich to Bowdle, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1900: 32 miles completed from Bowdle to Glenham, South Dakota by the Milwaukee Road
- 1912-15: Majority of Minneapolis to Aberdeen route realigned, grade separated and double tracked, except Bird Island to Granite Falls segment
- 1934: Second track removed from Hopkins to Hector and Summit to Groton
- 1947: Second track removed from Granite Falls to Milbank
- 1953-57: Remaining second track removed
- 1935: Hastings to Farmington segment abandoned
- 1978: Shakopee to Cologne segment abandoned, Chaska to Shakopee segment purchased for trail use
- 1980: Farmington to Shakopee segment abandoned
- 1982: Appleton to Andover segment sold to Burlington Northern, Andover to Miles City, Montana segment purchased by State of South Dakota and operated by BN
- 1986: Soo Line purchases the Milwaukee Road and takes over Minneapolis to Aberdeen route
- 1990: Soo Line controlled as a subsidary by Canadian Pacific Railway
- 1991: Twin Cities & Western Railroad purchases Hopkins to Appleton segment
- 1996: Cedar Lake Junction to Hiawatha Avenue segment abandoned and acquired for trail use
- 1996: Minnesota River Bridge at Chaska removed, portion of trail abandoned
- 1996: Burlington Northern merges with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway
- 1990-Present: Canadian Pacific operates the Cedar Lake Junction to Hopkins segment as the Bass Lake Spur
- 1991-Present: Twin Cities & Western operates the Hopkins to Appleton segment
- 1996-Present: BNSF operates the Appleton to Aberdeen segment as the Appleton Subdivision
- 1996-Present: BNSF operates the Aberdeen to Hettinger, North Dakota segment as the Mobridge Subdivision
- 1981-Present: Segment near Shakopee used as the Minnesota Valley Trail, formerly the Chaska-Shakopee Trail
- 2000-Present: The Midtown Greenway operates in the "29th Street Trench" through South Minneapolis
02/25/23
This old girder bridge crosses 31st Avenue in South Minneapolis. It carries one active track, one abandoned track and a trail.
Built in 1893, the bridge is a simple girder construction, with three spans. The piers are steel and the substructures are concrete and stone. The girders are arranged in a 4-beam pattern, which may possibly indicate a strengthening at some point.
Overall, the bridge is in good condition. Unlike other Midtown Greenway bridges, this one has not been rehabilitated.
The author has ranked this bridge as locally significant, due to the common design. The 1893 date was provided by the National Bridge Inventory, although the accuracy is unknown. However, it does appear as if it may be accurate.
The photo above is an overview.