UP Washington Road Bridge

A brief history of the Union Pacific Kenosha Subdivision:

• 1855: 45 miles completed from Chicago to the Illinois State Line by the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad
• 1855: 40 miles completed from Illinois State Line to Milwaukee, Wisconsin by the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad
• 1857: GBM&C acquired by the Milwaukee and Chicago Railroad
• 1863: M&C and C&M become part of the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway
• 1881: C&M acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee & North Western Railway
• 1882: Second track constructed from Chicago to Evanston
• 1883: CM&NW acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
• 1888-1895: Second track constructed from Evanston to Milwaukee
• 1898: Third track constructed from Chicago to Rose Hill and track elevated
• 1910: Third track constructed from Rose Hill to Wilmette and track elevated
• 1911: Realignment in Chicago for new station
• 1966: National Avenue (Milwaukee)-Capitol Drive segment abandoned
• 1981: Third track removed from Chicago to Wilmette
• 1981: Metra begins operations between Chicago and Kenosha as the Union Pacific North Line
• 1987: Second track removed from Kenosha to National Avenue
• 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
• 2009: Wiscona-Capitol Drive segment abandoned, acquired for trail use
• 1984-Present: Metra operates the Union Pacific North Line from Chicago to Kenosha
• 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Kenosha Subdivision from Chicago to National Avenue
• 2014-Present: Oak Leaf Trail runs between Milwaukee and Wiscona

12/23/21

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This simple deck girder bridge crosses Washington Road in Kenosha, as part of a grade separation project.
The bridge is simply built and contains a pair of deck girder spans, supported by concrete abutments and a steel pier.
This bridge, as well as several others in Kenosha are painted a bright blue, an upgrade from the normal rusty conditions these bridges are often in.
The deck girders on this bridge are not a traditional design; but instead feature four girders placed together for each track. The outside girder serves as a non-functional facade.

The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design and newer age of this bridge.
The photo above is an overview.