La Crosse Rail Bridge
La Crosse - La Crescent Canadian Pacific Railway, Main Channel Bridge | |
|---|---|
Looking South downstream. Larger barges have to stop and back up to recenter to stay in the main navigation channel when heading downstream. | |
| Coordinates | 43°50′00″N 91°16′53″W / 43.8332°N 91.2813°W |
| Carries | Canadian Pacific Railway and Amtrak's Empire Builder and Borealis |
| Crosses | Mississippi River |
| Locale | La Crosse, Wisconsin |
| Official name | Canadian Pacific Rail Road Bridge #283.27 Tomah Subdivision, La Crescent, MN, Houston County |
| Other name(s) | L4B |
| Maintained by | Canadian Pacific Railway |
| ID number | L4B |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Swing bridge |
| Total length | 1,042 feet (318 m) |
| Width | 20 feet (6 m) |
| Clearance below | 21.9 feet (7 m) |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| History | |
| Opened | Existing structure, 1902 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 20.0 trains per day (as of 2014) |
| Location | |
The La Crosse Rail Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the Mississippi River between La Crescent, Minnesota and La Crosse, Wisconsin. The first bridge in this location initially was designed and ready to build by June 1876, and was completed in November 1876 by the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, a predecessor of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. It was later replaced in 1902. It is at the Western end of the Canadian Pacific Railway Tomah Subdivision. Amtrak's Empire Builder and Borealis crosses this bridge.