This bridge was the original crossing of the Cedar River for the C&NW mainline. It was bypassed to the south in 1887, although a new signature double track was built here in 1887.
Originally built in 1898, the bridge contains a quintet of 6-panel Pratt Through Trusses with pinned connections. These double track trusses are built using a standardized design created by the Chicago & North Western. These spans rest on stone substructures.
The intricate and ornate features of the bridge indicate a desire by the C&NW for the bridge to seem really important. However, no other bridges of this style were known to be built.
This bridge amazingly survived the flood of 2008 with minimal damage, and was one of few railroad bridges on the lower portion of the Cedar to do so.
The bridge is named the Quaker Oats Bridge as it is right next to the plant, a major landmark. The bridge is also extremely identifiable for traffic coming through the area. It is commonly seen from I-380/IA-27, welcoming people to downtown Cedar Rapids.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition despite the flood that nearly destroyed it. A huge amount of industry sits along this line, giving Union Pacific a reason to continue operating it.
Historic photo of the bridge. Credit to PhotoLibrarian on Flickr, used with Creative Commons permission.
The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the landmark status and the survival of a number of bad floods.
The photo above is looking from the west bank. The east bank is impossible to access the bridge from.
| Upstream | MILW Cedar River Bridge (Old) |
| Downstream | CRandIC Cedar River Bridge (New) |