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Indian Creek Railroad Bridge #2

Through Plate Girder Bridge over Indian Creek
Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Indian Creek Railroad Bridge #2
Built By Illinois Central Railroad
Contractor American Bridge Works of Chicago
Currently Owned By Canadian National Railway
Length 50 Feet Total
Width 4 Tracks, 1 In Use
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Through Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1899
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
CN Bridge Number 511.8
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date February 2017


Located along at 13th Street and Avenue A in Council Bluffs, this through girder bridge is the second crossing of Indian Creek.
Built in 1899, this structure was built for four tracks, although only one remains in service. The bridge is made up of a single through plate girder span, set onto concrete substructures. By the late 1930s, it is apparent that the bridge was reduced to two tracks, and the unused tracks became a sidewalk and roadway.
American Bridge Works built a number of girder bridges for Illinois Central during this time period.
When the creek was channelized in the late 1930s, all bridges were assigned a number from south to north. As a result, city plans consider this to be bridge #31.
Overall, this bridge appears to be in good condition.

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

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date American Bridge Works plaque
Contractor American Bridge Works plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele