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Plum Creek Trail Bridge

Concrete Slab Bridge over Plum Creek
West of Clearwater, Stearns County, Minnesota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Plum Creek Trail Bridge
Built By Great Northern Railway
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Stearns County
Length 64 Feet Total, 16 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Concrete Slab
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1916
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
BN Bridge Number 52.0
Significance Minimal Significance
Documentation Date January 2022


Located in Stearns County just west of Clearwater, this standard concrete slab carries an unnamed trail over Plum Creek, parallel to County Road 75.
Built in 1916 to replace an older pile trestle, the bridge consists of four standard concrete slab spans, set onto concrete substructures.
Like most bridges of this design, it appears the superstructure of this bridge was cast offsite and moved here for quick construction, and to minimize interruptions to railroad traffic.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with little serious deterioration.

The author has ranked the bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date 1961 Great Northern Railway Bridge Records at the Minnesota Historical Society
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele