Abandoned East Channel Bridge

Downtown, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota

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Name	Abandoned East Channel Bridge Chicago Great Western Railway Bridge #980
Built By	Wisconsin Central Railway
Currently Owned By	City of Minneapolis
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company (Lassig Branch of Chicago)
Substructure Contractor	Unknown

Length	265 Feet Total, 90 Foot Largest Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type	Deck plate girder
Substructure Type	Concrete
Date Built	1901
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Closed to Traffic)
Current Status	Closed to all traffic
Chicago Great Western Railway Bridge Number	980
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	4/4/2015

In 1901, the Wisconsin Central Railway (WC) began building a new railroad line to serve the logging industry at Boom Island, in Minneapolis. The line paralleled the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway (later Great Northern Railway) line, curved away at the East Channel bridge, followed the north edge of Nicollet Island, crossed a truss bridge to Boom Island, and terminated at Boom Island at an extensive facility, including a roundhouse and large yard. The line would be purchased by the Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW) in 1909, which was later purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway in 1968. By the early 1970s, the line was no longer necessary, and it was removed between 1972 and 1979. Today, the portion along Nicollet Island is a trail, with the truss bridge to Boom Island restored for pedestrian use. The east channel bridge is abandoned, and there is no evidence there was ever railroad yards on Boom Island.

Located on the north side of Boom Island, this deck plate girder bridge once carried the Wisconsin Central/Chicago Great Western line to Boom Island. Built in 1901, the bridge features three deck plate girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. The east abutment of the bridge is set onto a s tone abutment shared with the parallel bridge. The girder spans are set onto a curve, and the bridge was built parallel to the [LINK]Great Northern bridge. Today, the bridge is abandoned and in a deteriorated condition. Overall, the bridge appears to be in poor condition, with significant section loss and pack rust. However, the substructures of the bridge have not seen the advanced spalling often seen on early 20th Century bridges. The author has rated the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Mississippi River Railroad Bridges

Upstream Display	Boom Island
Downstream Description(s)	BNSF Nicollet Island Bridge
Downstream Display	BNSF East Channel Bridge

Citations

Builder and build date	American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele