Government Bridge

Last updated
Government Bridge
Govt bridge anim2.gif
The Government Bridge rotating
Coordinates 41°31′09″N90°34′01″W / 41.51917°N 90.56694°W / 41.51917; -90.56694
Carries2 lanes of roadway
2 rail lines of Iowa Interstate Railroad
CrossesMississippi River
Locale Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois
Maintained by Federal government of the United States
Characteristics
DesignTwo riveted Pratt trusses
Five riveted Baltimore trusses
One pin-connected Baltimore swing truss [1]
Material Steel
Total length1,608 feet (490 m) [2]
Width27 feet (8 m) [2]
Longest span365 feet (111 m) (swing); longest fixed spans 258 feet (79 m) [3]
No. of spans8
History
Designer Ralph Modjeski [1]
Constructed by U.S. Army [4]
Construction start1895
Opened1896;128 years ago (1896)
Statistics
Daily traffic 16,800 [2]
Location
Government Bridge
Three-quarter view from the Clock Tower Building (Building 205), looking north-northwest toward Davenport, Iowa GovernmentBridge.jpg
Three-quarter view from the Clock Tower Building (Building 205), looking north-northwest toward Davenport, Iowa

The Government Bridge or Arsenal Bridge spans the Mississippi River, connecting Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. The Iowa Interstate Railroad uses the upper deck of the bridge for its ex-Chicago and Rock Island Railroad route between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Chicago, Illinois. [5] [6] The lower deck carries automobile traffic between the two cities. It is located near Upper Mississippi Mile Marker 483, adjacent to the Mississippi River Lock and Dam No. 15. The current structure (which was completed in 1896) is the fourth at this location. The bridges all were built with a swing section to accommodate traffic navigating the river.

Contents

The first Rock Island Bridge, which was finished in 1856, was the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi. [7] The bridge was 1,582 feet (482 m) long, and the draw-span was 285 feet (87 m). It was located upstream from the current bridge. It was a threat to the South (which sought to create a southern rail route to the Pacific) and to St. Louis, whose steamboats faced competition from Chicago's railroads. [8] The Effie Afton struck the bridge weeks after it opened, and steamboat companies brought lawsuits. It was repaired, but was replaced in 1866 by a wooden structure in the same location. In 1868, the second bridge was damaged by an ice storm and a tornado; however, construction crews repaired and reopened the bridge. It was replaced in 1872 by a twin double-deck bridge. The third bridge, 366 ft (112 m) long, was built downstream near the Rock Island shore in the present location. During the 1880s, the bridge accommodated horse-drawn trolley cars. Electric trolleys ran on the current bridge until 1940.

History

First Rock Island Bridge 1856

The first Rock Island Bridge, constructed in the 1850s and located about 1,500 feet (460 m) upstream of the present bridge, was the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River. [7] It played a prominent role in the period before the American Civil War and construction of the First transcontinental railroad. The bridge connected the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad with the newly-created Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, proposed by Thomas C. Durant as Iowa's first railroad (linking Davenport and Council Bluffs). Companies operating steamships on the Mississippi opposed the bridge, fearing that it would pose a navigation hazard and alter their monopoly on trade. [9] The bridge opened on April 22, 1856. [10]

Description

The Surveying party for laying the bridge was led by Colonel Robert E. Lee [11] The total of the bridge was 1,582 feet (482 m) long, and it’s draw-span was 285 feet (87 m) long. The bridge was built by utilizing timber and iron, which rested on granite piers. The draw-span allowed an opening of 120 feet (37 m) on both sides to let steamboats pass through. The lower deck of the bridge, which was 35 feet (11 m) above water, was used for wagons while the upper deck was used for railway traffic. [12]

Post-completion history

Since the bridge crossed the island which used to be the home of Fort Armstrong, the Department of War had a say in its construction. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis and President Franklin Pierce initially approved the bridge; thinking that the transcontinental railroad would go through the South to Los Angeles. He later changed his mind as resistance to that plan began to surface, fearing that the transcontinental railroad would now take a northern route. Davis ordered the construction halted, but he was ignored. [9]

Effie Afton collision

On May 6, 1856, the steamer Effie Afton collided with the bridge after one of its paddles stopped. [7] The crew were rescued, but the steamer caught fire, damaged the bridge, and sank. [9] Steamboat companies sued to have the bridge dismantled. The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (M&M) and the Rock Island Line hired Abraham Lincoln to defend the bridge. [13] [14] The case, Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Co., ended in a hung jury in the circuit court in Chicago, and was dismissed. The case ultimately worked its way to the Supreme Court. [13] In the meantime, the M&M and Rock Island merged to become the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. [15] At the time of the collision, the bridge was built in a difficult part of the rapids, and its draw-span was at an angle to the current (making the bridge hard for steamboats to clear). [16] Many felt that the bridge had been designed to interfere with steamboat traffic. [8]

Durant took his earnings from the M&M merger to form the Union Pacific Railroad. Lincoln, as part of his research as an attorney, visited M&M facilities and met with M&M officials in Council Bluffs. When the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 gave him the power to choose the eastern terminus of the transcontinental railroad, he picked a location favorable to his former clients. The case trial ended in a hung jury, [17] and was dismissed; the Supreme Court ruled on a subsequent suit on December 18, 1862, and the bridge remained operational. [18] [9]

Second bridge 1866

The first bridge only lasted until 1866, when it was considered inadequate for the ever-increasing loads carried by the railroad. It was replaced by a heavier wooden structure, which reused the original piers. All that remains of the first bridge is an elevated approach west of River Drive on the Iowa side, and a reconstructed pier on Arsenal Island. [19] The second bridge had two decks: a lower deck for pedestrians and an upper deck for railroad traffic. [20] In 1868, an ice storm damaged the bridge's piers and timber spans. Later that year, a tornado also severely damaged the bridge; construction crews from Chicago were able to reopen it. [21]

Third bridge 1872

The bridge today Government Bridge.jpg
The bridge today

The wooden structure was replaced by an iron, twin double-deck bridge in 1872 which carried a single-track rail line and a roadway. [9] [22] This bridge was at a new location on the western tip of Arsenal Island, and the original bridge and rail line were abandoned. The relocation was driven by the federal government, which still owned the island and wished to redevelop it as an arsenal. The original bridge and rail line divided the property in two, and the development constraint was removed by moving the bridge to one end of the island. The federal government used this bridge for access to the railroad, giving rise to its name. [9]

The railways used the upper deck, and wagons, livestock and pedestrians used the lower deck. This bridge was 366 ft (112 m) long, and was located near the Rock Island shore. During the 1880s, it accommodated horse-drawn trolley cars and electric trolleys; this tradition was continued on the fourth bridge until 1940. [22]

Present Government Bridge 1896

Sidewalk view during a swing-span opening Cyclists on Arsenal Bridge waiting during a bridge opening (2006).jpg
Sidewalk view during a swing-span opening

The current Government Bridge, the fourth crossing of the Mississippi in the area, was built in 1896 at the same location and used the same piers as the 1872 structure. A twin double-deck bridge which carries rail (top level) and road traffic (bottom level), it has two train tracks to eliminate what had become a rail-traffic bottleneck. The bridge was designed by Ralph Modjeski and built by the Phoenix Bridge Company, [1] and was the first bridge designed by Modjeski. [23] On March 2, 1895, Congress authorized the War Department to build the new bridge. [24] A 2006 stress test indicated that the bridge used only "10 to 12 percent" of its service life, [25] and was listed as part of a proposed rail trail. [26]

The height restriction of 11 feet on the lower deck means that many trucks have been damaged in an attempt to cross the bridge. [27] It has gained the nickname "Truck-eating bridge" from the incidents reported. [28] Another nearby bridge in Davenport also has this nickname. [29]

In 1956, a steam-powered train was brought to the Quad Cities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first bridge's completion. [22] The train pulled dining cars that included dignitaries from Rock Island to Davenport. On February 22, 2006 (50 years later), a dinner was held at RiverCenter to mark the 150th anniversary of the bridge. The dinner re-enacted a similar event that was held on February 22, 1854, which celebrated the completion of the Rock Island railroad. [30] The Quad Cities again celebrated the 150th anniversary of the bridge completion from Thursday September 14 to Sunday September 17 2006 in a festival that included "steam locomotive excursions, riverboat rides, canoe and kayak races, a story-telling festival and a unique 'ghost bridge' display". [31]

In 1965, the bridge closed when the Davenport approach was flooded in the record-setting Upper Mississippi flood of that year. [32] On May 2, 2019, the bridge and several others in the Quad Cities region were closed to all traffic due to severe flooding of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers and a levee breach in Davenport. The bridge was reopened on May 8. [33] On July 10, 2019, the bridge closed for a day after a train derailed. [34] [35] The bridge and gates reopened a day after it closed. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport, Iowa</span> City in Iowa, United States

Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a combined statistical area population of 474,019, ranking as the 147th-largest MSA and 91st-largest CSA in the nation. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 101,724, making it Iowa's third-most populous city after Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836, by Antoine Le Claire and named for his friend George Davenport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad Cities</span> Metropolitan area in the United States

The Quad Cities is a region of cities in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are the center of the Quad Cities metropolitan area, a region within the Mississippi River Valley, which as of 2013 had a population estimate of 383,781 and a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population of 474,937, making it the 90th-largest CSA in the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Island, Illinois</span> City in Illinois, United States

Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. Located on the Mississippi River, it is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf. The Quad Cities has a population of about 480,000. The city is home to Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the US, which employs 6,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad</span> Defunct American Class I railway

The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eads Bridge</span> Bridge spanning the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri

The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois. It is located on the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing to the north, and the grounds of the Gateway Arch to the south. The bridge is named for its designer and builder, James Buchanan Eads. Work on the bridge began in 1867, and it was completed in 1874. The Eads Bridge was the first bridge across the Mississippi south of the Missouri River. Earlier bridges were located north of the Missouri, where the Mississippi is smaller. None of the earlier bridges survive, which means that the Eads Bridge is also the oldest bridge on the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Excursion</span> Promotional voyage by train and steamboat into the Mississippi River valley, USA

The Grand Excursion was a promotional voyage by train and steamboat into the Upper Mississippi River valley, USA that first took place in June 1854. It marked the first railroad connection between the East Coast and the Mississippi River, and it included dignitaries such as former president Millard Fillmore. In 2004, 150 years later, the Grand Excursion route was retraced by both riverboats and a steam locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock Island Centennial Bridge</span> Bridge in Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois

The Rock Island Centennial Bridge, officially the Master Sargeant Stanley W. Talbot Memorial Bridge, connects Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. The bridge is 3,850 feet (1,173 m) long and stands 170 feet (52 m) above water level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge</span> Bridge in Iowa and Rapids City, Illinois

The Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge is a 4-lane steel girder bridge that carries Interstate 80 across the Mississippi River between LeClaire, Iowa and Rapids City, Illinois. The bridge is named for Fred Schwengel, a former U.S. Representative from Davenport, Iowa and one of the driving forces behind the Interstate Highway Act. The structure was designed by the Iowa State Highway Commission, and was built by the Industrial Construction Company of Minneapolis (contractor), Gould Construction Company of Davenport, and Roy Ryan & Sons of Evanston, Indiana who was responsible for the substructure. The bridge opened on October 27, 1966, and is maintained by the Illinois Department of Transportation. It underwent a major rehabilitation project in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quincy Rail Bridge</span> Bridge in Missouri and Quincy, Illinois

The Quincy Rail Bridge is a truss bridge that carries a rail line across the Mississippi River between West Quincy, Missouri, and Quincy, Illinois, USA. It was originally constructed in 1868 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, a predecessor of BNSF Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent Rail Bridge</span> Mississippi River railroad bridge

The Crescent Bridge carries a rail line across the Mississippi River between Davenport, Iowa and Rock Island, Illinois. It was formerly owned by the Davenport, Rock Island and North Western Railway, a joint subsidiary of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which was split in 1995 between then-joint owners Burlington Northern Railroad and Soo Line Railroad, with BN getting the bridge and the Illinois-side line, and Soo Line getting the Iowa-side line. Since then, after spinning off its lines in the area to I&M Rail Link, later Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad, the lines were repurchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway, parent of the Soo Line. Meanwhile, BN has merged into the BNSF Railway, the current owner of the bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton Railroad Bridge</span> Bridge in United States of America

The Clinton Railroad Bridge, also called the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Bridge or more simply the Clinton Bridge, is a bridge that carries double tracked rail lines across the Mississippi River between Clinton, Iowa, and Fulton (Albany), Illinois. The bridge is a truss bridge with a swing span crossing the main river channel and is adjacent to the Gateway Bridge. The original bridge was constructed in 1858, and the first train crossed the bridge on January 19, 1860. The bridge was the second railroad crossing over the Mississippi River. In 1870, the bridge was declared a post route, therefore stopping the occupation of steamboats and approval of railroads. From 1859 to 1908, the mileage in operation increased from 28,789 to 229,230, prompting the Chicago and North Western Railway to replace the bridge with a new structure in 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Crosse Rail Bridge</span> Bridge in La Crosse, Wisconsin

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 crosses this bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi and Missouri Railroad</span>

The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was the first railroad in Iowa. It was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa, on the Mississippi River and Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the Missouri River. The railroad was the first west of the Mississippi river to join by bridge to the East. It played an important role in the construction of the First transcontinental railroad. The competing Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad actually became the first Iowa railroad to reach Council Bluffs from the Mississippi River. Thomas C. Durant, vice president of the Union Pacific Railroad, owned stock in both.

Davenport, Iowa, was part of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1814, during the War of 1812 the British military, along with the Saux and Fox Indian tribes fought against the Americans near Davenport. In August, Major Zachary Taylor, later President, fought a battle east of what is now Credit Island Park, in Davenport. An outpost was set up at Fort Armstrong and George Davenport and Antoine LeClaire were stationed there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pile–Pontoon Railroad Bridge</span>

The Pile–Pontoon Railroad Bridge was a floating bridge which crossed the Mississippi River in northern Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village of East Davenport</span> United States historic place

The Village of East Davenport, also known simply as The Village, is located along the Mississippi River on the southeast side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as the Davenport Village. At the time of its nomination it included 145 contributing properties, most of which were working-class housing.

Hurd v. Rock Island Bridge Company (1857) is an American civil case that allowed railroads to continue to cross the Mississippi River on bridges, over the protests of steamboat enterprises that requested unfettered access to the channel. One of the lawyers for the rail companies, Abraham Lincoln, earned some degree of fame for his victory, which later led to him becoming the President of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent Warehouse Historic District</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

The Crescent Warehouse Historic District is a 10.5-acre (4.2 ha) historic district in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The district is a collection of multi-story brick structures that formerly housed warehouses and factories. Most of the buildings have been converted into loft apartments. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Davenport, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

Union Station, also known as Union Station and Burlington Freight House, is located along the riverfront in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings are in a section of downtown with several historic structures. Across Ripley Street to the west is the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Freight House, and to the east across Harrison Street is the Dillon Memorial. On River Drive northwest from the Burlington Freight House is The Linograph Company Building. Across Beiderbecke Drive to the south are the W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion and the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 74 in Iowa</span> Highway in Iowa

Interstate 74 (I-74) is the central freeway through the Iowa Quad Cities. It roughly divides Davenport to the west and Bettendorf to the east. The Interstate Highway begins at an interchange with I-80 at the northeastern edge of Davenport and continues into Illinois at the Mississippi River by crossing the I-74 Bridge. The freeway was built in stages during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jackson, Donald C. (1988). Great American Bridges and Dams. Wiley. p.  198. ISBN   0-471-14385-5.
  2. 1 2 3 "Bridges: Iowa, Illinois order safety inspections". Quad City Times. Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
  3. Hess, Jeffrey A.; Arborgast, David (February 1985). "Rock Island Arsenal: Rock Island Bridge (Government Bridge)" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record . Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  4. "Government Bridge (Arsenal Bridge)". historicbridges.org.
  5. Iowa Interstate Railroad System Map. Iowa Interstate Railroad
  6. Interstate Railroad Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce
  7. 1 2 3 Turner, Jonathan (February 13, 2011). "First Mississippi bridge opened 155 years ago, ushering in new era, new jobs". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus .
  8. 1 2 Tweet, Roald D. The Quad Cities: An American mosaic. East Hall Press. 1996.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Special Route and Bridge Designations - Iowa Department of Transportation". iowadot.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  10. Pfeiffer, David (2004). "Bridging the Mississippi: The Railroads and Steamboats Clash at the Rock Island Bridge". National Archives and Records Administration. Archived from the original on 2008-09-23. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  11. American Ride Season 2 Episode 7
  12. "Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railway Company, Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company". The Rocket. Vol. 11–13. 1952. p. 16.
  13. 1 2 McGinty, Brian. Lincoln's Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America. United States: Liveright, 2015.
  14. Pfieffer, David - Bridging the Mississippi The Railroads and Steamboats Clash at the Rock Island Bridge. Prologue Magazine, United States National Archives, Summer 2004
  15. A Brief Historical Overview of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Archived 2008-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Ross, Michael (2009). "Hell Gate of the Mississippi: The Effie Afton Trial and Abraham Lincoln's Role in It". The Annals of Iowa. 68 (3): 312–314. doi: 10.17077/0003-4827.1361 . ISSN   0003-4827.
  17. Getlen, Larry (February 8, 2015). "The epic legal battle Lincoln waged — over a bridge". New York Post .
  18. McGinty, Brian (2015). Lincoln's Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN   9780871407856.
  19. "Historic Auto Trails". IowaDOT. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  20. Proulx, Tom, ed. (March 18, 2011). Civil Engineering Topics, Volume 4: Proceedings of the 29th IMAC, A Conference on Structural Dynamics, 2011. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9781441993168.
  21. McGinty, Brian (2015). Lincoln's Greatest Case: The River, the Bridge, and the Making of America (hardcover). p. 9. ISBN   9780871407849.
  22. 1 2 3 "A pictorial history of the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River and its three successors". Archived from the original on 2019-01-01. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  23. "Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island Bridge, Fort Armstrong Avenue, Rock Island, Rock Island County, IL". loc.gov . Historic American Engineering Record. 1968.
  24. Rathbun, Mary (2000). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the Upper Mississippi River Federal Navigation Projects. p. 345.
  25. "The Quad City Times – The Big Story: Behold the secrets of the Government Bridge". Archived from the original on 2016-11-16. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  26. "Plans for Great American Rail-Trail include Iowa". Archived from the original on 2019-09-14. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  27. Historic Photos: Government Bridge. Quad City Times. Last updated January 20, 2020
  28. Truck-eating bridge claims a victim Monday morning. Quad Cities Times, July 29, 2019.
  29. Cook, Linda - truck falls prey to the truck-eating bridge on Harrison. Quad Cities Online / Rock Island Dispatch Argus, December 19, 2019
  30. Willard, John (January 31, 2006). "Dinner marks 150th birthday of the first railroad crossing on the Mississippi". Quad City Times.
  31. Willard, John (September 12, 2006). "The Quad-Cities set to celebrate railroad bridge anniversary". Quad City Times.
  32. "Rains Soften Flood Threatened Dikes". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. April 26, 1965.
  33. Government Bridge, Rock Island Viaduct reopens Archived 2019-05-09 at the Wayback Machine . Quad City Times , May 8, 2019
  34. "Derailment Closes Government Bridge". Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  35. "Government Bridge and Rock Island Arsenal's Gate Closed After Train Derailment". Archived from the original on 2019-08-21. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  36. "Government Bridge reopens after train derailment". KWQC.com . July 11, 2019.