The bridge rises 120 feet above the river to accommodate maritime traffic in a 400-foot-wide navigation channel.

The designer of the bridge was fellow World War II veteran Amardo J.

[2] The bridge was one of the largest public works projects undertaken by the state of Wisconsin.

Ayres Associates, an architectural/engineering company based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, managed the project and designed the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) length of approach bridges.

[6] The bridge was the scene of a 16-vehicle pile-up on January 27, 2005, in which 10 people were hospitalized and a baby was given an emergency delivery but subsequently died.