It is one of only four lift spans on the Mississippi River, the others being at Hannibal, Missouri, Burlington, Iowa and in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.

It was built in 1981 by Milwaukee Road and was designed by Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff.

In addition to CP Rail traffic, the bridge also carries Amtrak's Empire Builder across the river.

Another nearby lift bridge is the Prescott BNSF lift bridge, in Prescott, Wisconsin that crosses the St. Croix River.

The two tracks converge at the St. Croix interlocking tower.