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Old G Avenue Trail Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Former G Avenue and Unnamed Creek
Redfield, Boone County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Old G Avenue Trail Bridge
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Dallas County
Length 70 Feet Total, 35 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1902
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
MILW Bridge Number Y-72
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date October 2018


This unique deck girder bridge formerly crossed G Avenue just east of Redfield.
While the bridge was reportedly built in 1902, it appears that the bridge may have used secondhand spans or may have been rebuilt at some point. The bridge features a pair of deck girder spans, set onto concrete substructures.
Another feature of the bridge is the use of twinned deck girders. The process of twinning takes two spans of girders and makes one span. This is often done with scrap material to strengthen the bridge.
The bridge once crossed G Avenue, although G Avenue was removed in the 1990s. It continues to cross an unnamed creek.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Currently, the bridge serves the Raccoon River Valley Trail.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the lack of information on the structure.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Milwaukee Road Archives at the Milwaukee Central Library
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele