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IAIS Franklin Avenue Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Franklin Avenue
Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name IAIS Franklin Avenue Bridge
Built By Chicago Great Western Railway
Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Currently Owned By Iowa Interstate Railroad
Length 150 Feet Total, 45 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder and Concrete Modular Girder
Substructure Type Steel Pile
Date Built 1902, Approaches Rebuilt 2014
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
IAIS Bridge Number 485.2
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date January 2017


Located in Council Bluffs, this deck girder bridge crosses Franklin Avenue near I-80.
Built in 1901, the bridge originally featured a deck girder with trestle approaches, on timber piles. However, the structure was rebuilt with new modular concrete approaches in 2014.
Fortunately, the significant part of the bridge, the girder, was preserved and repaired. Currently, the bridge is used by Iowa Interstate.
While this bridge is considered an I-beam on a 1973 track chart, it is actually a deck girder. It is currently unknown if this is the original location of the girder.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition.

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

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date 1992 National Bridge Inventory
Contractors Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele