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NPR North Marais River Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over North Marais River
East of Ardoch, Walsh County, North Dakota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name NPR North Marais River Bridge
Built By Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Canadian Pacific Railway
Currently Operated By Northern Plains Railroad
Length 220 Feet Total, 40 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder and Trestle
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Built Ca. 1905
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date August 2020


Located between Ardoch and Oslo along North Dakota Highway 54, this bridge crosses the North Marais River just east of Interstate 29.
Built in approximately 1905, the bridge features an attractive deck plate girder span, set onto timber substructures. The bridge utilizes a very common design seen throughout the Soo Line system, including a long trestle approach.
This style bridge was commonly used on branch lines, where a larger span was required, but a permanent substructure was not. Oftentimes, these girder spans would be moved from a mainline to replace several trestle spans. It is unknown if that is the case here.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no major deterioration noted. Unfortunately, no plaques could be found on the bridge. The author will attempt to find more information on this structure.

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