AASHTO Journal - Documentary Film of Iowa’s Black Hawk Bridge Released

The Iowa Department of Transportation – with support from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration – recently released a 25-minute film about the Black Hawk Bridge and that of the local communities surrounding it.

[Above image by Iowa DOT]

Created as a compliance requirement with the National Historic Preservation Act, the short film – entitled “Bridging Generations: The Story of the Black Hawk Bridge” – details the history of the 1,700-foot bridge that spans the Mississippi River, connecting Iowa Highway 9 in Lansing, IA, to Wisconsin Highway 82 in rural Crawford County.

The original cantilever structure has served the area since 1931; the only closure occurring from 1945 to 1957 due to damage from river-born ice dams. However, wear and tear over time – combined with changing vehicle size and traffic patterns – now call for a new, wider, and safer crossing to be built.

The Iowa DOT commissioned the film as part of its responsibility to mitigate the loss of the original structure. The new bridge now under construction will provide a physical transport over the Mississippi River, but the documentary is a way to preserve some of the cultural heritage of the Black Hawk Bridge for the local communities it serves, the agency said.

Iowa DOT hired Craig Schaefer, a creative media professor at Loras College, and his team to create the documentary. They, in turn, told the story of the bridge and the people it has served via historical research conducted by Ray Werner of Tallgrass Archeology of Iowa City, as well as through interviews with area residents, bridge workers, and Iowa DOT planners.