Black Hawk Bridge
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- For other uses of Blackhawk/Black Hawk, see Black Hawk.
This riveted cantilever through truss bridge was started in 1929 and completed in 1931. It carries Iowa State Highway 9 and Wisconsin State Highway 82. The designer and chief engineer was Melvin B. Stone.
The Wisconsin approach has a long causeway over sloughs 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.
The 1999 movie The Straight Story has aerial footage of the Richard Farnsworth character driving a riding lawn mower across it.
Recent reports indicate that the bridge is at the end of its useful life. It has been suggested that some fixes are possible extending its life into the 2020s, but ultimately, the bridge has to be replaced.
See also
Sources and external links
- [Bridge information at Structurae]
- [Iowa Department of Transportation site]
- [Library of Congress site with photographs]
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