This bridge was built in 1912 by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway as part of a line from Peoria to Benld, Illinois, which gave the C&NW access to the St. Louis area. The C&NW became a part of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995.

A US Coast Guard report states that this bridge is the second most frequently struck bridge in the US, with 95 collisions between 1992 and 2001.

I was hoping to get alot closer and use my new ultra wide angle to get a shot of the drawbridge part of the bridge. It was cloudy, windy, and cold. This is a crop from a much wider shot to show bridge detials. It is someone's job to stay in the shack on top of the draw bridge span and lower the section when a train comes. Now that there is more barge traffic it stays up and lowers for trains.