(
Bridge Hunter;
John A. Weeks III;
HAER;
Satellite, now gone, see topo map below)
This bridge was declared functionally obsolete and the US-61+151 traffic joined US-20 over the
Julien Bridge. But that created a lot of congestion in downtown Dubuque so the
City Island Bridge was built and the US-61+151 traffic was routed back to an upstream crossing.
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| John Weeks and David Shedlock via Bridge Hunter, 1910 postcard |
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| 1956 Dubuque North Quadrangle @ 1:24,000 |
Significance: Eagle Point Bridge was the fifth Mississippi River bridge to Iowa to be erected exclusively for vehicular (i.e. wagon and pedestrian) traffic, and is the only one of the first five still standing. It was built for the Dubuque and Wisconsin Bridge Company, with funds raised through stock subscriptions in Dubuque's north end and in Grant County, Wisconsin. The original designer was Edward Clapp Shankland, who is best known for his work as chief engineer of construction at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. [HAER-data]
Since the Dubuque citizens had already built the
Wagon Bridge in 1887, Dubuque had two of the first five non-railroad bridges built over the Mississippi River.
This is the post that taught me about the existence of this bridge.
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Curt Smith posted
Old photo of Bob Labdon upbound at Lock 11 Dubuque 80s photo. Boats been renamed Ingram has her now. Got photos of her around in Midland colors to. Knew a chief engineer from my hometown of Dubuque who use to work on her. Toll bridge long gone.
[M/V Bob Labdon was built in 1980] |
When it opened, the pedestrian toll was 5 cents and a team of horses cost 25 cents. Semi-trucks were allowed on the bridge until 1967. [
EncyclopediaDubuque, this reference has several photos and a long discussion about funding.]
The USACE declared it a navigation hazard and force its removal even though it was still structurally sound. [John Weeks]. The longest span was 378'. That is rather short, but the tows had to uae a lock here that is only 110' wide. So once again, I'm forced to question the decision making ability of the USACE.
Lock and Dam #11 is in the foreground.
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HAER IOWA,31-DUBU,3--1
1. Robert A. Ryan, photographer. GENERAL VIEW FROM UPSTREAM ON THE IOWA SHORE, LOOKING SE - Eagle Point Bridge, Dubuque, Dubuque County, IA |
This view from the Illinois shore shows the bend in the bridge and the steel tower piers.
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HAER IOWA,31-DUBU,3--6
6. J Ceronie and Robert A. Ryan, photographers. UPSTREAM THREE-QUARTER VIEW, LOOKING WSW |
This bridge reminds me of the
Chain of Rocks Bridge down near St. Louis with its sharp bend, narrow deck and steel grate deck. Imagine driving a big car of the 1960s and meeting another one at this bend. I'm surprised that semi-trucks were allowed until 1967. But this bridge would have been fine for pedestrians and bikes. (Actually, the steel grate might have been a problem for bikes.)
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HAER IOWA,31-DUBU,3--66
66. Robert A. Ryan, photographer. DECK VIEW SHOWING CURVE FROM SPAN 5 TO SPAN 6, LOOKING ENE |
This confirms that the "tower piers" were made with steel.
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HAER IOWA,31-DUBU,3--53
53. J Ceronie, photographer. PIER 2 AT JUNCTION OF SPANS 2 AND 3 (BOTH PENNSYLVANIAS), LOOKING ESE |
In 1927 Lock and Dam #11 had yet to be built.
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