The US-2 bridge was built in 1938. It had two piers, steel girders, and a concrete deck. The railings were open metal rails that were bolted to the bridge deck. In 1987, the bridge was lowered and widened. To make this happen, the piers had to be made wider. The solution was to drive four new piles, and use those new piles to support a wider concrete cap on the old piers (after they were cut down slightly in height). Additional steel was put down on both sides of the existing steel, and a new wider deck was installed. New style concrete railings finished off the remodel job. The result is a very modern looking old bridge that is safer and will last many years into the future.
Prior to 1938, the river was spanned by a lift bridge. At the same time, the railroad bridge that runs parallel to US-2 had a swing bridge. This must have been a bridge lovers dream to be in this area as the river boat would come steaming up the river, and both bridges had to operate to allow the boat to pass.
This bridge is the second of five bridges that cross the Mississippi River where the great river is the boundary between Cass County and Itasca County.
The photo above is a profile view of the bridge. Note the unusual pier configuration due to the 1987 reconstruction. The photo below is view looking west across the bridge deck. Both photos were taken late in the evening with the sun very low in the sky.
