Located just west of Eudora, this large truss bridge carries the BNSF Railway over the Wakarusa River.
Built in 1897, the bridge features an 8-panel, pin connected Pratt Through Truss, set onto concrete substructures. Originally approached by trestle spans to the east, the original approaches were upgraded in 2007-2008 with new modular concrete slabs. When the previous trestle approach was added in 1936, the bridge was made to be ballast deck.
This style of truss was commonly seen throughout the ATSF system. It is believed that this may be a standard design, as a number of other identical trusses can be seen throughout the Santa Fe system.
The portal bracings on this bridge feature a lattice design, which has not been modified. In addition, some of the pin connections on the bridge have been repaired and primed, perhaps to help preserve the strength at the joints.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Unfortunately, heavy foliage prevented the author from getting as many photos as hoped. The author plans to return to this location eventually.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an overview.