Ramsey Millpond Railroad Bridge

Located near Ramsey, the junction point of two Milwaukee Road lines; this historic through truss bridge crosses the Cedar River. The trusses were originally fabricated in 1887 by Keystone Bridge Company as a swing bridge at Bridge #D-4 across the Menomonee River at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By 1911, that bridge had become too light for mainline service, and the spans were reconstructed and installed at this location. The bridge features two 102-foot 4-inch Pratt through truss spans, each with a vertical endpost in the middle, pinned connections and 6 panels. The spans are supported by concrete substructures. When the spans were moved here, the floor was reconstructed with two new stringers in the center, while retaining the outer stringers. Swing spans were occasionally reused as fixed spans. Any machinery, rollers or brackets would be removed from the span, and often the fixed spans would retain a vertical endpost. Plans indicate that the Milwaukee Roads bridge shops at Tomah refurbished the bridge, and several other repairs were made.

This bridge is one of several spans that were reused along the La Crescent-Wessington Springs line. Unfortunately, relatively few of these spans still exist. Oftentimes, railroads would reuse steel and iron spans which had become inadequate for mainline service. These spans would often be strengthened or reconstructed, and this solution provided a cost effective method for replacing bridges on mainlines. Since abandonment, the bridge has sat relatively abandoned. The east side of the bridge was purchased by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the west side of the bridge by Mower County. While once technically open to the public, the bridge has had no improvements to the deck, such as railings or a solid deck. In 2023, the bridge would be closed due to safety concerns, and the future is uncertain. Plans were previously proposed to convert the bridge to a trail, but engineering studies will be required to see if the bridge can support a trail, while minimizing flood risk. The author hopes that the decision will be made to rehabilitate the bridge, or raise the bridge by placing the existing superstructure on new substructures. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The superstructures of the bridge appear to be in good condition, possibly indicating an iron construction. The substructures show some signs of spalling, although it appears these could be feasibly repaired. The author has ranked the bridge as being highly significant, due to the unique design and history.