Black Hawk Bridge

The Black Hawk Bridge spans the Mississippi River, joining the town of Lansing, in Allamakee County, Iowa, to rural Crawford County, Wisconsin. It is the northernmost Mississippi River bridge in Iowa.

Named for Chief Black Hawk, it is popularly referred to as the "Lansing bridge". It carries Iowa Highway 9 and Wisconsin Highway 82.

This riveted cantilever through truss bridge has one of the more unusual designs of any Mississippi River bridge. Construction started in 1929 and was completed in 1931. The designer and chief engineer was Melvin B. Stone. The McClintic-Marshall Company of Chicago erected the trusses. The steel came from the Inland Steel Company.

The Wisconsin approach has a long causeway over Winneshiek bottoms (sloughs, ponds, and backwaters) before ramping up to the bridge itself. The main shipping channel is on the Iowa side. The Iowa approach is rather abrupt, going from a city street straight up a steep ramp onto the bridge.

Originally a privately built and operated bridge owned by the Iowa-Wisconsin Bridge Company, it was closed between 1945 and 1957, due to damage from ice damming, and lacking funds to repair the bridge, the company went out of business. The two states acquired the bridge and repaired it.

Closures

The bridge has been subject to periodic closures in recent years. In August 2011 the bridge was briefly closed for repairs after a crack was found in a floor beam.

The Iowa Department of Transportation temporarily closed the Black Hawk Bridge on Highway 82 on February 25, 2024, citing structural integrity concerns following movement of two bridge piers. The department performed emergency repairs of the bridge, which was reopened to traffic on April 20, 2024. On May 18, 2025, the bridge was closed again due to a shifting pier, with a temporary passenger-only water taxi service beginning June 4, 2025. The bridge was re-opened June 9, 2025; but additional closes are expected related to construction of the new bridge.

File:Black Hawk Bridge Iowa - Wisconsin.jpg

Black Hawk Bridge from Wisconsin to Iowa

File:Black Hawk Bridge road.jpg

Black Hawk Bridge road is narrow

Replacement

The bridge has a sufficiency rating of 39.9 percent, which mainly reflects its obsolete nature. The Iowa Department of Transportation began planning for a replacement bridge, with feasibility studies beginning in 2004. It was revealed during a meeting on June 15, 2021, that the replacement bridge's design would look extremely similar to the current bridge's design while either retaining the pier's design or adopting a newer wave design. A design similar to the original bridge was ultimately chosen; construction of the new bridge began in September 2023.

File:Lansing (Black Hawk Bridge) construction and closure.jpg

Lansing (Black Hawk Bridge) construction and closure 27 Feb 2024.

In popular culture

The bridge was featured in a scene from the 1999 film The Straight Story, when Alvin Straight is depicted crossing the Mississippi River near the end of his journey.

See also

• List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River
• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Iowa
• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Wisconsin

References

• Iowa Department of Transportation, retrieved July 28, 2007
• Black Hawk Bridge Superb site, with pictures and statistics, retrieved July 28, 2007
• NationalBridges.com, retrieved August 7, 2007
• Black Hawk Bridge at Structurae. Retrieved Template:Trim.Template:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck
• Template:HAER.
• Lansing Bridge Project - Iowa Department of Transportation.