The first railroad crossing at this location was built by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad in 1871. One of the stone piers in the main channel is marked 1917. It appears that the stone bottom sections of the piers are from 1871, and the white color stone at the top was added in a 1917 rebuilding of the bridge. The Minneapolis & St. Louis became part of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, which in turn merged with the Union Pacific Railroad. The bridge is currently operated by the Union Pacific. The rail line is now a spur and dead ends a few miles after crossing to the north of the river.

In late March of 2007, high water weakened a bridge just south of this crossing. That bridge failed, and the train crossing that bridge derailed. Three cars ended up in the water, one completely submerged. The cars were carrying raw materials bound for the American Crystal Sugar plant in Chanhassen. As of May, 2007, the bridge is still closed. It is possible that this bridge will be abandoned rather than being repaired.

The current bridge owner, Union Pacific did in fact file a request in January, 2008, to abandon this rail line and bridge. Local governments are working on ideas for the possible reuse of the bridge as a regional trail. The bridge itself is in good condition, and the weakened rail line to the south of the river should support foot and bicycle traffic for many years in the future.