One of the larger railroad bridges in North Central Iowa, this large pony truss bridge crosses the Cedar River at a remote area north of Otranto.
Built in 1899, the bridge features a pair of identical 100 foot long, 6-panel pin connected Pratt Pony Trusses. These trusses were built by Lassig Bridge & Iron Works, using a standard design seen on many spans along the Milwaukee Road. The bridge rests on stone and concrete substructures.
A similar bridge to this exists to the south at Carpenter, crossing Deer Creek.
Much of this bridge is massive, featuring large turnbuckles, large members and a heavy floor. It also appears that the south abutment was upgraded, possibly around 2014.
At one time, many of these types of spans existed throughout the Milwaukee Road system. However, many have been replaced or removed since the 1970s. This span is also a good representative of a multi-span pony truss bridge, as many of these spans were built as single spans.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in excellent condition, and well maintained. A plaque was taken off the bridge, but emailed to the author, confirming the 1899 build date.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the large size, historic nature and truss design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | CN Cedar River Bridge (Lyle) |
| Downstream | Charles City Trestle |