Hanover Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hanover Bridge
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Hanover Bridge over the Crow River
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Off County Highway 19 over the Crow River, Hanover, Minnesota |
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| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1885 |
| Built by | Morse Bridge Company |
| Architectural style | Pratt truss bridge |
| MPS | Wright County MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 79001268 |
| Added to NRHP | December 11, 1979 |
The Hanover Bridge is a historic metal bridge in Minnesota. It crosses the Crow River between the towns of Hanover and Rogers, Minnesota. This bridge is special because it's one of the oldest Pratt truss bridges still left in Minnesota. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This means it's an important part of history for its engineering and transportation story.
Building the Hanover Bridge
The Hanover Bridge was built in 1885. A company called the Morse Bridge Company from Youngstown, Ohio constructed it. This company later joined a bigger company called the American Bridge Company.
The bridge is about 231 feet (70 meters) long. The part where vehicles drove was about 15 feet (4.6 meters) wide. There was also about 13.5 feet (4.1 meters) of space for things to pass underneath. The wooden road surface was replaced in 1965. It was made to look very similar to the original design.
A Bridge with a Special Rule
The Hanover Bridge was used for cars and trucks until December 1966. It had a very low weight limit. This meant that heavy vehicles could not cross it.
Because of this, children riding school buses had a unique experience. They would have to get off the bus on one side of the bridge. Then, they would walk across the bridge. The empty school bus would slowly drive across. After crossing, the bus would pick up the students on the other side.
The Bridge Today
Today, a new concrete bridge handles most of the traffic. This newer bridge is about 1,500 feet (457 meters) west of the old one. The old Hanover Bridge is now used only by people walking or biking.
Citizens of Hanover helped fix up the bridge in the 1980s. More repair work was also done in 2004. This helps keep the historic bridge safe for everyone to enjoy.
