Bridges

East Dubuque Local Area History Project

	by C. P. 4/99
	The Railroad bridge opened in 1869 on New Year's Day, after two years of construction. The length of the bridge is 1800 feet. Dubuque became the center of intense railroad building after the bridge was built. It is 360 feet above water, and it has a section that can pivot out so barges and large boats can get though, and it closes back up when trains need to get across. The Railroad bridge cost about $800,000 to build. The bridge still stands today by the Julien Dubuque bridge.

	The High Bridge was built in 1887 and was 35 feet above water. Work on it began on September 7, 1886. The High Bridge was the first highway between Iowa and Illinois. The first person to use the bridge was Mrs. George Gantenbein who rode across it on a horse. The High Bridge was taken down in 1943, shortly after the Julien Dubuque bridge was built.

	The Toll bridge was built in 1902 and provided the first highway between Iowa and Wisconsin. It cost about $110,000 to build. It was built on a wooden trestle and a wooden floor. The trestle and floor were both replaced with steel. The floor was a grid, which allowed you to see the river underneath you while you were going across it. The Toll bridge was also called the Eagle Point bridge because it was at Eagle point, near Eagle Point Park.

	The Julien Dubuque bridge was opened in 1943. It was named after a man named Julien Dubuque. The bridge connects Iowa to Illinois on Highway 20.

	The Wisconsin bridge opened in 1982, replacing the Toll bridge. It links Iowa to Wisconsin. The bridge was going to be named after a priest, named Reverend Samuel Mazzuchelli, who established Roman Catholic churches thrughout the area. Instead, they named it the Dubuque-Wisconsin bridge to show the relationship between the two states. It has four lanes and it's on Highway 61/151.

	The Iowa Dept. of Transportation is thinking about expanding the two-lane Julien Dubuque bridge to a four-lane. They say it will take about two to three years to build it, but they are not sure. It would cost about $28 million to expand the bridge. Even though we need a bigger bridge, it could effect East Dubuque. If the bridge is built south of the Julien Dubuque bridge, lots of people would lose their homes, and many businesses would be wiped out. Most people who cross the bridge are East Dubuque residents and depending on where the bridge lands, some people will have to go out of their way to get on to the bridge. Although many people hope the Julien Dubuque bridge will become a four-lane bridge soon, how soon that will happen is uncertain.

	Bibliography: Dubuque's Mississippi River; Dubuque County Historical Society, 1988 Ruth Wittenburg, The River Adventure. Dubuque County Historical Society, 1991 Iowa Building For Eagle Point Bridge Telegraph Herald, No. 27, 1979 Becky Sisco. Traffic Issues Key to new bridge between Iowa, Illinois. [Online] http://www.thonline.com/th/news/121198/front/135976.htm, 4/13/99 Photos Courtesy of Center for Dubuque History. Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa.