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Motley Rail Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Crow Wing River
Motley, Morrison County, Minnesota
To
Rural Cass County, Minnesota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Motley Rail Bridge
Built By Northern Pacific Railway
Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Length 300 Feet Total, 100 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1900
Traffic Count 5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
Significance Local Significance


This large deck girder bridge crosses the Crow Wing River in Motley.
The bridge consists of three large deck girder spans. These spans rest on concrete substructures.
The piers are likely made of stone, but were later encased in concrete.

The structure appears to be in good condition for the age. Unfortunately, it is hard to get good photos of this bridge.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to it being a large scale deck girder type bridge.
The photo above is looking west along the bridge.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Northern Pacific Bridge Book, provided by Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele