Talk:Rock Island Swing Bridge

Merge two articles
The two articles are talking about the same bridge. When I was a kid, my father used to take that bridge to work, which was for the Rock Island railroad, so it definitely should be merged. DandyDan2007 08:58, 24 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree the two articles reference the same bridge. I suggest that the Rock Island Bridge might be the proper name. St. Paul Park Bridge, Newport Bridge, and the JAR Bridge (for Joan and Allen Roman, the former owners) are other names by which it was known. Living mere blocks away in IGH, I knew it as "the Toll Bridge" or "the Ashland Bridge" since it enters the refinery. Newport would probably be my last choice, since it passes below Newport, MN. Group29 19:40, 29 December 2006 (UTC)


 * The only reason I think it got the Newport Rail Bridge title is because the destination of the railroad was Newport, and possibly because St. Paul Park didn't go that far north when it was built. I wouldn't mind merging it to Rock Island bridge, but this article has all the bridge info and is more complete. DandyDan2007 22:30, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

Toll Booth
The toll collector was (IMHO) a surly person, probably from having to repeatedly explain to disbelieving users that it actually was a "toll" bridge. The swing mechanism worked silently, and you could stand right on the edge of the roadway and watch it swing away. The roadway was barely wide enough for two cars to pass on the bridge and it could cause vertigo because of the minimal railings at the sides.

Finished merger
Finally got around to merging this article with Rock Island Bridge. I wasn't certain whether it should be here or there, so I put it here because the bridge info was here. DandyDan2007 10:49, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Moved to Rock Island Swing Bridge
Migrated to Rock Island Swing Bridge based upon Star Tribune article. Group29 (talk) 17:53, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

From Newport Rail Bridge
Migrated to Rock Island Swing Bridge based upon Star Tribune article on Oct 25. Group29 (talk) 17:54, 25 October 2008 (UTC)
 * This got moved back, and I think the original intention was to move the history to the new article, not move all the content back under Newport Rail Bridge. Group29 (talk) 02:29, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Some conflicting items / fire
First, no where in the media references does it say the steel has been found to be sound after the fire. It also doesn't give a date when the bridge is expected to open (or if it will open, depending on the steel inspection findings).

Also, there is a conflict that someone keeps adding again that states the bridge carries traffic (using the "carries" tag) - while it is also stated lower that it does not carry road or rail traffic anymore (and hasn't for at least ten years), making this tag redundant and not needed.

I would like to request VERIFIED sources that state the bridge is safe and that it will open in 2011 that are dated after the fire stories of November 4th, 2010. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.20.152.8 (talk) 05:36, 5 November 2010 (UTC)
 * First of all, yes media sources have said the structure is ok. I've actually looked at numerous sources. I did misread something but a source is now there, as well as saying they are still going to work and have it open next year. Also, do not remove the carries section. The bridge maybe closed and partially demolished, but it still goes int he infobox. That stays in the infobox, go look at other bridges that no longer exist. --Shadow (talk) 14:58, 5 November 2010 (UTC)

Grammar/misspelling/readability
Ghost user (me) made some minor changes to grammar and style -- there were some really long sentences and awkward constructions that I cleaned up. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.193.76.117 (talk) 11:40, 5 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks! --Shadow (talk) 14:58, 5 November 2010 (UTC)

Bridge Reopens
The Rock Island Swing Bridge Recreational Pier opened to the general public at 5:30 PM on June 8, 2011. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony late that afternoon before it was opened to the public. There is an open house scheduled for June 11, 2011, from 10 AM to Noon. Officials from Inver Grove Heights and the National Park Service will be on hand. I have photos from the day it opened at http://www.johnweeks.com/river_mississippi/pages/b39.html, and I would be willing to share selected photos with wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.36.107.111 (talk) 04:07, 10 June 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Rock Island Swing Bridge. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110927124923/http://kstp.com/news/stories/S927720.shtml?cat=1 to http://kstp.com/news/stories/S927720.shtml?cat=1

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Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 19:57, 25 January 2016 (UTC)