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DM&E Oak Avenue Bridge

Lost Steel Girder Bridge over Oak Avenue
Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name DM&E Oak Avenue Bridge
Built By Chicago & North Western Railway
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
Length 32 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 12 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Stone Masonry
Date Built 1894
Date Replaced 2016
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been Replaced)
Current Status Superstructure Replaced
DM&E Bridge Number M215.5
Significance Local Significance


Located in downtown Owatonna, this short girder bridge once crossed Oak Avenue.
Built in 1894, the bridge featured a single deck plate girder span, built in a four girder configuration. The bridge was built onto stone abutments.
In 2016, the bridge was replaced by a new modular span. Unfortunately, this was a loss of one of the older girder spans in southern Minnesota.
The history of the span may not entirely be known either. A four beam arrangement oftentimes indicates that the bridge was rebuilt and possibly moved to that location.

The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Date Carving
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele