Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tri-State Bridges

 
Ahhhhhhh....open water, a sunny blue sky, and speed boats motoring on the Mississippi River.  What a pleasant sight, especially while we are in the middle of a very cold, snowy and windy winter.  But, warm weather is sure to return and delight us all.
 
While enjoying this view from a bluff in Dubuque, Iowa looking to the northeast, you can first see the Julien Dubuque bridge that connects Iowa to Illinois.  Beyond that to the right is a big, blue-green structure that links Iowa to Wisconsin.  If you are a resident in these parts, you have probably traveled on both of these bridges many times. 
 
And, it is also interesting to note that my father has spent considerable chunks of time working on the Julien Dubuque bridge and can give some pretty interesting accounts of all the materials used and the process by which the bridge is constructed and maintained.  Of course, for obvious reasons, that work is not for the faint of heart -- whew!
 
Finally, a did-you know piece of trivia from some online sources:  since the Julien Dubuque bridge was financed with bonds, it originally was a toll bridge and operated as such until 1954.

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