- 1850: 12 miles completed from Aurora to West Chicago, Illinois by the Aurora Branch Railroad
- 1852: Name changed to Chicago and Aurora Railroad
- 1855: C&A absorbed by Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
- 1970: CB&Q merges with Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad
- 1996: BN merges with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway
- 1996-Present: BNSF operates this route as the West Chicago Branch
02/06/22
Located south of Batavia alongside Illinois Route 25, this bridge carries a BNSF track over the Batavia branch of the Illinois Prairie Path.
Built in 1902, the bridge consists of an unusual girder and beam hybrid, set onto concrete substructures. The bracings on the bottom of the girder feature an unusual eyebar design, which hold together the four girders.
This style of bridge was common for bridges like this, although this particular design is quite odd. It is not known why such an unusual design would be chosen in place of a more standard design.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition with minimal deterioration.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.