BNSF Spring Street Bridge

Northeast Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota

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Name	BNSF Spring Street Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #9.9
Built By	Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	82 Feet Total, 25 Foot Main Spans
Width	13 Tracks (5 In Use)
Height Above Ground	12 Feet 6 Inches
Superstructure Design	Concrete Encased Beam and Concrete Slab
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1922
Traffic Count	20 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number	9.9
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	9.9
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	4/7/2018

In 1862, the First Division of The St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company constructed the first railroad in Minnesota, a 10 mile route between St. Paul, Minnesota and Minneapolis (St. Anthony), Minnesota. The railroad quickly spurred growth throughout the Twin Cities, and was extended north and west during the following years. In 1879, the railroad was purchased by the James J. Hill controlled St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (StPM&M). This route became one of the heaviest used routes on the StPM&M system. By 1907, the StPM&M would be purchased by another James J. Hill railroad, the Great Northern Railway (GN). Great Northern connected to Seattle and Portland on the West Coast, and to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in St. Paul. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and the CB&Q to form Burlington Northern Railroad. BN was in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates this line as the Midway Subdivision, the southern of two parallel BNSF main lines through the Twin Cities.

Located in Northeast Minneapolis, this concrete encased beam bridge carries the BNSF Midway Subdivision across Spring Street Northeast. Built in 1922 as part of a grade separation project, the bridge features two 25-foot concrete encased beam spans, approached by a 16-foot concrete slab span on each end. The entire bridge is set onto concrete substructures and utilizes a ballasted deck. The piers of the bridge utilize a decorative design typical for this era, and the railings of the bridge are also decorative. At 13 tracks wide, it is believed this is the widest railroad bridge in Minneapolis. Bridges such as this were commonly used as grade separations in cities throughout the United States, due to the durability and ease of construction. Overall, this bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with some spalling and concrete defects noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Build Date	National Bridge Inventory (NBI)
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele