Downtown Dubuque with Julien Dubuque Bridge in background

The Julien Dubuque Bridge traverses the Mississippi River. It joins the city of Dubuque, Iowa, and East Dubuque, Illinois. The bridge is part of the U.S. Highway 20 route. It is one of two automobile bridges over the Mississippi in the area, the Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge three miles north links Dubuque with Wisconsin. The bridge is registered as a National Historic Landmark. This is a view of downtown Dubuque, Iowa from the observation deck of the Fourth Street Elevator. ... This is a view of downtown Dubuque, Iowa from the observation deck of the Fourth Street Elevator. ... Length 6,270 km Elevation of the source 450 m Average discharge Saint Louis¹: 5,500 m³/s Vicksburg²: 16,800 m³/s Baton Rouge³: 12,800 m³/s Area watershed 2,980,000 km² Origin Lake Itasca Mouth Gulf of Mexico Basin countries United States (98. ... Downtown Dubuque and the Riverfront Dubuque is a city located in Dubuque County, Iowa. ... East Dubuque is a city located in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. ... Categories: Stub | United States Highway system ... A view of the bridge from Riverview Park, Dubuque The Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge connects Dubuque, Iowa, with Grant County, Wisconsin. ... One of the periods of glaciation was also termed the Wisconsin glaciation. ... The USS Arizona Memorial. ...

History

For a number of years, people living in the area wanted a bridge to replace the old bridge, which was called either the "High Bridge" or the "Wagon Bridge." However, economic conditions at the time made it difficult to get the financing together to build a new bridge. This article is about the edifice. ...

During World War II, the importance of a new bridge became even more important as it would help facilitate military transportation. In 1942, the first parts of the bridge were begun. In 1943, the bridge was completed. It was painted grey to help camouflage the bridge in case of enemy attack.

Because the bridge was financed with bonds, it was initially operated as a toll bridge. Proceeds were used to help pay off the bonds. In the post war years, traffic was so heavy, that the bonds were paid off 11 years early, and the bridge became toll-free in 1954. Bonds can refer to: A financial bond (including a junk bond or a zero-coupon bond) Barry Bonds A chemical bond (including the ionic bond, covalent bond, coordinate covalent bond, metallic bond, hydrogen bond, Carbon-carbon bond, Disulfide bond and Glycosidic bond) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid...

In the early 1990's, the bridge underwent an extensive renovation. The deck was completely replaced, and a new walkway was installed on the bridge. For many years, the bridge was a dark green color, however in more recent times it has again been painted a light grey color.

The Future of the Bridge

Over the years, there has been considerable debate about the future of the bridge. Much of this debate centers on having a four-lane connection with Illinois. The debate has produced several options, State nickname: Land of Lincoln, The Prairie State Other U.S. States Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Governor Rod Blagojevich Official languages English Area 149,998 km² (25th)  - Land 143,968 km²  - Water 6,030 km² (4. ...

• Expand the existing bridge to support four lanes.
• Build a second two lane bridge next to the existing bridge, and have traffic one way on each bridge.
• Build a new four lane bridge south of the Julien Dubuque Bridge, and leave the current bridge intact as an attraction or as a bridge for local traffic.
• Tear down the Julien Dubuque Bridge, and replace it with a four lane bridge that looks similar to the current bridge.

Most officials have indicated that they would rather not do anything that detracts from the historically important bridge. Discussion about expansion of the bridge continues, however no firm plans have yet been made about the future of the bridge.