1943 US-20 Julien Dubuque Bridge over Mississippi River at Dubuque, IA

(Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges, has several construction photos; John A. Weeks III; 3D Satellite)

US-20 Overview

This bridge replaced the 1887 Wagon Bridge.

John Weeks

"Its longest span is 845 feet, total length 5,760 feet and width 28 feet. The clearance below the bridge is 64 feet. When built, the 845-foot main span was the second longest over the Mississippi River, fourth longest in the United States and eighth longest in the world." This bridge is congested and Iowa DOT is working on building another 2-lane bridge just south of this bridge. [Historic Bridges]

Street View

One of several IDOT construction photos on EncylopediaDubuque

Quick Facts: When opened on August 30, 1943 the 845-foot span was the:

             1) second-longest over the MISSISSIPPI RIVER,   

             2) fourth-longest in the United States,

             3) eighth-longest in the world.

 

Ralph Hutches, Dec 2019

LC-DIG-highsm- 39829
Credit line: Photographs in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Carol M. Highsmith's photographs are in the public domain.

 

Elevated Images posted

More rainy days in Dubuque, Iowa  ☂️    ⛈️

Visit our Gift Shop / Gallery TODAY!!

In person: 129 Main St., Dubuque, IA 📍 

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Elevated Images shared

 

Iowa Road Trip posted

Sunrise against the Julien Dubuque Bridge in Dubuque, Iowa. 

The longest bridge in Iowa is the Julien Dubuque Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River between Dubuque, Iowa, and East Dubuque, Illinois. With a total length of 5,760 feet, it is the longest continuous steel-arch truss bridge over the Mississippi.  Photo: Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip

Jesse Howell commented on the above post, cropped

Curt Smith posted
I think this is a early 70s slide before the flood wall was bulit at Dubuque alot of things gone now.The tanks in the photos gone.Interstate Power torn down a few years back.Put a few Acbl coal barges into that place.Fischer cold storage gone hotel and waterpark and casino in its place.Two of the boats gone the Arthur J Dyer I think burnt up in a fire many many years ago?Coal Queen gone Dick Bissell owned her in this photo.Then Capt Eldon Newt had her.Artco had her in later years.They scrapped her in Cassville years back.She was a Dubuque Boat Bolier works bulit boat along with Mary thats near Ice harbor entrance.Mary is only survior shes had diffrent names over the years.Shes siting in back of the ex Steamer Alexander Mackenise at Joliet as a few months back future unknown.Yellow tint is from my house fire heat got into the case some slides I couldnt save and had to throw away they were good ones to.

Jayson Young posted
Dubuque on the Mississippi
[The foreground is the gate in the flood wall to provide access to the harbor, which includes the 1930s William M. Black steamboat with tours. ]

Andrey Novikov posted two photos with the comment: "The Julien Dubuque Bridge is a continuous steel-arch truss bridge with a suspended deck that traverses the Mississippi River. The bridge connects Dubuque, Iowa and East Dubuque, Illinois.   June 18, 2023."

1

2

Will Hoyer posted
A two minute exposure yesterday morning in Dubuque as the fog was lifting.

Jasper Construction Services, Inc. posted

Salute to our many employees currently working on the Julien Dubuque Bridge restoration project. The 5,635 feet long bridge carries US Highway 20 across the Mississippi between Dubuque Iowa and East Dubuque Illinois. We closed the bridge on July 6th and have 30 calendar days to accomplish an extraordinary amount of work despite the scorching heat we are experiencing. The bridge was built in 1942 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The work includes structural concrete and structural steel repairs along with new approaches and painting. Our contract with the Iowa Department of Transportation has an accelerated schedule requiring our crews to work seven days a week. We have 50 employees on the project at any given time and workers are staggering days off on weekends with everyone hopefully getting at least one day off each week. Failure to complete the project within the 30 days allowed results in a $20,000 per day penalty. 

We also have many other projects that are ongoing and in some cases are relying on a skeleton crew to keep progress going until the Dubuque bridge is completed. So it is a company wide endeavor at the moment requiring everyone to step up and make added efforts to keep everything moving. It is humbling to witness the drive and personal sacrifices our dedicated employees are making to complete this and other demanding projects. Thank you all so much!

Sep 29, 2026:

Telegraph Herald posted
After months of closures and construction, the Julien Dubuque Bridge is once again fully open to the public.
https://www.telegraphherald.com/.../article_7ee3cd30-2f05...

"The $10.7 million bridge maintenance project brought a summer of partial and full closures — including a month in which the Julien Dubuque Bridge was closed in both directions. Some businesses in East Dubuque reported hits to their sales during the closure. Starting in August, the bridge was closed to eastbound traffic during working days but opened for the evening commute. 

The project included bridge and sidewalk approach repairs, deck joint repairs, painting the steel superstructure, sealing the deck, rail repairs and replacing the handrail along the pedestrian crossing."