Swing Bridge at Riverside Park in Coon Rapids

Is it a suspension bridge or a swing bridge? or both?

I think it’s both. And I think it’s fun. Kids (and some adults like me) really love pedestrian swing bridges where the deck moves or swings as you cross. I’ve started charting the swing bridges across the state and this just happens to be the first one that I’m posting. It will probably take me another month or more to finish cataloging all of the swing bridges across the state.

Location: Riverside Park in Coon Rapids.

But isn’t it a suspension bridge too? Yes, it certainly is a suspension bridge, as that’s defined as a bridge that uses cables are used to distribute the weight between two towers. That is certainly the case for this bridge. However, it’s also a got a deck that moves and swings – so it appears to be both. Of course, I’m not a civil engineer – so if designing and building bridges is your thing, let me know where I’m going wrong on this.

There’s plenty of parking right next to the bridge and there’s easy access to the river, including the rapids that apparently give it the name of Coon Rapids.