- 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
06/24/23
This unique overpass crosses over the former Milwaukee Road mainline in an area of Chaska known as Jonathan.
The main girder for this bridge was originally fabricated in 1883 for use at Bridge #C-80 across the Rock River east of Watertown, Wisconsin. In 1909, that bridge would be replaced and the girder would be reused across the Des Moines River at Bridge #Z-1154, near Madrid, Iowa.
When the new high bridge at Bridge #Z-1154 opened in 1913, the girder was rebuilt with a new floor and moved to this location.
In addition to this unique main span, the bridge is approached by trestle spans. It sits on wooden and concrete substructures. The piers are typical concrete bents seen throughout the Milwaukee Road system.
Due to concerns with the condition of the bridge, it was closed in 2008. With Chaska growing little north of the bridge, it is a low priority for the county to replace. As of June 2023, the bridge remains intact but closed to traffic.
The Milwaukee Road reused steel and iron spans extensively. This bridge was one of many examples of girder spans that were reused in this fashion, although relatively few still survive.
Overall, the bridge is in poor condition. Unfortunately, the bridge is in a severely deteriorated condition and will be demolished in the future.
In 2020, the TC&W built a second track (siding) underneath the bridge for car storage and parking, as a result of the Southwest Light Rail project.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the unique design.
The photo above is an overview.