The original crossing, which opened as a toll bridge on January 23, 1855, was the first permanent span across the Mississippi.

Additionally, federal funding requested by Martin Sabo had been contingent on the construction of a suspension bridge.

[4] The suspension design was unnecessary from an engineering perspective but hailed as being "elegant," while also having a "Mussolini kind of quality".

[5] Stairs and a ramp on the eastern bank connect pedestrians to West River Parkway below.

[2] On July 31, 1989, a fire underneath the bridge blamed on vagrants caused an estimated $80,000 in damage to construction equipment.

The archeological site was included as an official part of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District.

[14] The bridge depicts a fictional border crossing between the United States and Canada in Detroit, Michigan.