Black Hawk Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Black Hawk Bridge spans the Mississippi River
, joining the town of Lansing
, in Allamakee County
, Iowa
, to rural Crawford County, Wisconsin
. It is the northernmost Mississippi River bridge in Iowa.
Named for Chief Black Hawk
, it is popularly referred to as the "Lansing bridge". It carries Iowa Highway 9 and Wisconsin Highway 82
.
This riveted cantilever through truss bridge (other examples) has one of the more unusual designs of any Mississippi River bridge. Construction started in 1929 and was completed in 1931. The designer and chief engineer was Melvin B. Stone. The McClintic-Marshall Company of Chicago erected the trusses. The steel came from the Inland Steel Company.
The Wisconsin approach has a long causeway over Winneshiek bottoms (sloughs, ponds, and backwaters) before ramping up to the bridge itself. The main shipping channel is on the Iowa side. The Iowa approach is rather abrupt, going from a 25 mph city street straight up a steep ramp onto the bridge.
Originally a privately built and operated bridge owned by the Iowa-Wisconsin Bridge Company, it was closed between 1945 and 1957, due to damage from ice damming, and lacking funds to repair the bridge, the company went out of business. The two states acquired the bridge and repaired it.
In August 2011 the bridge was once again closed for repairs.
The bridge has a sufficiency rating of 39.9%, which mainly reflects its obsolete nature. So far neither Wisconsin nor Iowa have seriously considered replacing the structure, because daily traffic counts do not support a new crossing. However, if the bridge was torn down or became unusable there would be a 63 mile gap between river crossings.
There is a commercially-sponsored webcam on the bridge, updated every 30 seconds during daylight. The 1999 movie The Straight Story
includes aerial footage of Alvin Straight (played by Richard Farnsworth
) driving a riding lawn mower
across the bridge.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, joining the town of Lansing
Lansing, Iowa
Lansing is a city in Lansing Township, Allamakee County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,012 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lansing's longitude and latitude coordinatesin decimal form are 43.361525, -91.223378...
, in Allamakee County
Allamakee County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 14,330 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,617 housing units, of which 5,845 were occupied.-2000 census:...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, to rural Crawford County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. It is the northernmost Mississippi River bridge in Iowa.
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
, it is popularly referred to as the "Lansing bridge". It carries Iowa Highway 9 and Wisconsin Highway 82
Highway 82 (Wisconsin)
State Trunk Highway 82 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southwest and south central Wisconsin from the Iowa border near Lansing, IA to Oxford....
.
This riveted cantilever through truss bridge (other examples) has one of the more unusual designs of any Mississippi River bridge. Construction started in 1929 and was completed in 1931. The designer and chief engineer was Melvin B. Stone. The McClintic-Marshall Company of Chicago erected the trusses. The steel came from the Inland Steel Company.
Originally a privately built and operated bridge owned by the Iowa-Wisconsin Bridge Company, it was closed between 1945 and 1957, due to damage from ice damming, and lacking funds to repair the bridge, the company went out of business. The two states acquired the bridge and repaired it.
In August 2011 the bridge was once again closed for repairs.
The bridge has a sufficiency rating of 39.9%, which mainly reflects its obsolete nature. So far neither Wisconsin nor Iowa have seriously considered replacing the structure, because daily traffic counts do not support a new crossing. However, if the bridge was torn down or became unusable there would be a 63 mile gap between river crossings.
There is a commercially-sponsored webcam on the bridge, updated every 30 seconds during daylight. The 1999 movie The Straight Story
The Straight Story
The Straight Story is a 1999 film directed by David Lynch. The film was edited and produced by Mary Sweeney, Lynch's longtime partner and co-worker. She co-wrote the script with John E. Roach....
includes aerial footage of Alvin Straight (played by Richard Farnsworth
Richard Farnsworth
Richard W. Farnsworth was an American actor and stuntman. His film career began in 1937; however, he achieved his greatest success for his performances in The Grey Fox and The Straight Story , for which he received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor.- Early life :Farnsworth was born...
) driving a riding lawn mower
Lawn mower
A lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
across the bridge.
Closure
On August 17, 2011 During an inspection a crack was found in the floor beam under the bridge deck, the bridge was closed. The bridge was reopened on August 23, 2011.Sources and external links
- Iowa Department of Transportation, Retrieved July 28, 2007
- Black Hawk Bridge (Superb site, with pictures and statistics), Retrieved July 28, 2007
- NationalBridges.com, Retrieved August 7, 2007, Retrieved July 28, 2007
- Library of Congress site with photographs
- Library of Congress summary, Retrieved July 28, 2007