Iowa Mississippi River Bridge Reopens

The 1,700-foot bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing, Iowa, reopened April 20 after closing in February. The bridge connects Lansing with Crawford County, Wis., and is also known as the Black Hawk Bridge.

The bridge was closed February 25 after two of the piers shifted, creating an unexpected buckle of the bridge. The contractor for the Iowa Department of Transportation, Kraemer North America, replaced the piers. The new piers are supported by steel pipe pilings reaching more than 100 feet to bedrock, compared to the previous pilings that were placed more than 90 years ago and reach approximately 40 feet deep.

The trusses removed and reset as part of the bridge pier repair project were inspected according to the National Bridge Inspection Standards.  No defects were found to restrict the reopening of the bridge to regular vehicular traffic.

A new bridge is being planned to replace the existing bridge, which was built in 1931.