The Last Day of the Black Hawk Bridge

The Black Hawk Bridge was a historic cantilever truss bridge built in 1931, connecting Lansing, Iowa, to Wisconsin over the Mississippi River. On October 20, 2025, the last vehicle crossed the old bridge, which was initially an asphalt bridge with a wooden-plank deck. Then. On December 19th, 2025, the bridge was demolished.

The bridge piers sustained many hits over the years and underwent numerous renovations, remaining an icon for 94 years. It was designed and engineered by Melvin B. Stone. The McClintic-Marshall Company of Chicago built the trusses. The Inland Steel Company provided the steel. The bridge was originally privately owned and then closed from 1945 to 1957, due to ice-dam damage. Wisconsin and Iowa then took the bridge public and repaired it.

In 1999, the Black Hawk Bridge was featured in a true story called “The Straight Story.” Alvin Straight is depicted crossing the bridge near the end of his 240-mile lawn mower journey. The bridge was named for Chief Black Hawk, who led the Sauk Tribe from 1788 through 1832 before being killed by a militia, which ignored his flag of surrender. It was commonly referred to as the "Lansing bridge."

Construction of the new bridge began in September 2023. It is expected to be fully completed in 2028.

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