Located just east of Reeseville, this unique through girder bridge once carried Bobolink Road over the former Milwaukee Road mainline.
Little is known about the history of the bridge. The National Bridge Inventory lists the build date of this bridge as being 1920, which is not correct.
The girder span was installed in 1970, after a derailment destroyed the previous main girder span. However, the main girder span appears to be far older, probably dating to approximately 1895. The author is attempting to find where this span came from.
The bridge here featured a single through girder span, set onto timber substructures. In addition, it was approached by trestle spans on either side. The girder span was clearly an old railroad span, rebuilt with a new floor and relocated here when the overpass was built.
It is unknown where the span may have come from. The reuse of railroad spans for roadway use was very common for railroads. Trusses and girders of all types would be replaced by a new railroad bridge, and the old span reused for roadway use. As is the case with this bridge, many of these bridges would be extensively rebuilt with a new floor system and other modifications.
Further modifications on this bridge included the addition of reinforcing steel throughout the girder, particularly with additional ribs. The floor also was rebuilt with new wooden floor beams. Unlike some bridges, it appears portions of the original floor, such as the original stringers were reused. While the floor beams were replaced, the current floor beams appear to have reused other scrap material.
Overall, the bridge is in poor condition. While the girder seems to be in serviceable condition, the approaches and timber substructures are beginning to fail. The piers of this bridge do not utilize any sort of base, and are placed directly on soil. Instead of using wooden pilings like the approach, these use a frame design, further reducing the load capacity. It is very clear that this bridge was built cheap and quick.
Because of the poor condition, the bridge has been closed to traffic since 2020. The bridge was demolished in May 2021 to make room for a new bridge.
Unfortunately, the United States has lost a significant portion of the population of recycled railroad spans. Many have been replaced or outright removed since the 1990s, and this trend is expected to continue. This is unfortunate, as many of these spans, while altered, retain great historic integrity, and are often some of the oldest in the area.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the common design and relocated status.
The photo above is an overview.