logo

Keg Creek Trail Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Keg Creek
Mineola, Mills County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Keg Creek Trail Bridge
Built By Wabash Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Iowa DNR
Length 140 Feet Total, 41 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 30 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder and Trestle
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Built Ca. 1940, Using an Older Deck Girder
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
Wabash Bridge Number 1273
NW Bridge Number 397.83
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date November 2020


Located alongside Brothers Avenue in Mineola, this tall deck girder bridge carries the Wabash Trace Nature Trail over a channelized section of Keg Creek.
Little is known about the history of the bridge. According to Wabash Railroad records, the original bridge at this location was a pile trestle, built in 1902.
The current bridge features a 41 foot deck girder span, set onto timber pile piers and approached by four spans of trestle on the west end, and three spans of trestle on the east end.
It appears that the deck girder span is a secondhand, or relocated span. It is unknown when it was originally built, when it was moved here or where it may have come from. The author is currently doing more research into this.
Most of the steel spans along this route were relocated spans. Judging by appearances, it appears this span may date to approximately 1900, and may have been moved here around 1940.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no major deterioration noted.

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