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Indian Creek Railroad Bridge #3

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 #3
Built By (North Track) Illinois Central Railroad
Built By (South Track) Chicago & North Western Railway
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By City of Council Bluffs
Length 50 Feet Total
Width 2 Tracks
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Through Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built (North Track) 1900, Relocated Here 1936
Date Built (South Track) Ca. 1920
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rail to Trail
IC Bridge Number (North Span) WA 512.0
C&NW Bridge Number (South Span) 1090B
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date May 2017


Located along at 13th Street and 2nd Avenue in Council Bluffs, this through girder bridge is the third crossing of Indian Creek.
While it initially appears to be only one span, it is actually two single track spans combined. The northern span was built by Illinois Central in 1900, but moved here in 1936. The southern span was built in approximately 1920.
It is worth noting that the girders are very similar, but show off characteristics typical of spans from their respective eras. Both bridges rest on the same concrete abutments.
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 #27 (south span) and #28 (north span).
Currently, the southern span is a trail while the northern span is abandoned.
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 Estimated
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele