Clinton Railroad Bridge, Railroad bridge in Clinton, Illinois
The Clinton Railroad Bridge is a railway crossing over the Mississippi River linking Illinois and Iowa. It features a movable center span that opens to allow boats to pass underneath.
A railroad bridge was built at this location in 1865 to connect the two riverbanks. The structure was later rebuilt in steel during the early 1900s to handle heavier trains and traffic.
The bridge connects two states and serves as a daily reminder of the region's dependence on rail transport for commerce. Many people in the area grew up hearing the trains pass overhead and consider it a defining feature of where they live.
The bridge can be viewed from nearby observation points or from a distance along the riverbanks. Viewing from a boat on the water offers a different perspective of the structure and the surrounding landscape.
The bridge was designed with extra-wide supports that were meant to accommodate a third railroad track, which was never added. This forward planning from the early 1900s shows how engineers anticipated future growth.
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