It was named Wabasha Street Freedom Bridge in 2002, to commemorate the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The bridge opened to traffic in 1998; some decorative elements were not completed until late 2001.

It was built by Lunda Construction Company and was designed by Toltz, King, Duvall, Anderson & Associates, Inc.

It features 11-foot-wide (3.4 m) sidewalks, six overlooks at the pier locations, and a stairway down to Raspberry Island.

Instead, he fell 55 feet (17 m) and landed on Raspberry Island underneath the bridge.