Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway St on the north and Gibson St on the south

Summary

Soo Line Railroad Bridge
Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway Street on the north and Gibson Street on the south, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County
Builder: Minneapolis Steel Company
Date of Construction: 1910

The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo Line) Bridge is a steel Warren deck truss located in the city of Eau Claire, WI. The bridge crosses the Eau Claire River at Galloway (north) and Gibson (south) street. To the north is the former Uniroyal Plant, now Banberry Place, while the central business district and residential areas are found to the south.

The S-Bridge, as it is locally known, is composed of five spans and a is a total length of 442 feet. The spans were laid out with an s-bend in order to soften the sharp curved that would otherwise be needed to connect parallel tracks.

The land along the river where the S-Bridge was constructed was originally owned by the Wisconsin Central Railroad. When the Wisconsin Central acquired the Chippewa Falls and Western Railway, which gave them access to Eau Claire from Chippewa Falls, land was needed to further the railroad line. Because the main track was located on the north side of the river, the railroad needed to construct a bridge to access the south side. In the fall of 1890 a wooden s-shaped bridge was constructed. In 1909 the Soo Line Railroad signed a 99-year lease with the Wisconsin Central Railroad and in 1910 the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company replaced the wooden bridge with the present structure. The Soo Line abandoned the S-Bridge in 1991. It was converted into a pedestrian bridge in 2002.

Property Details

Resources Within The Property

Designations