This spiral bridge over the Mississippi River in Hastings, Minnesota, was built in 1895 and was designed supposedly to slow down horse-drawn traffic from the opposite side of the river as it entered downtown, although more likely it was a space saving expedient for the length of the approach. The novel design became a tourist attraction for the town, but it was demolished in 1951 because it could not accommodate the size and weight of modern vehicles (towards the end it could only support 4 tons). It was 1,708 ft (520.6 metres) long, 18 ft (5.5 metres) wide and 55 ft (16.8 metres) above the water level.
A quarter-scale replica of the bridge was later built in the Little Log House Pioneer Village near the town: webpage.
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