Located near Chestnut Road, this large deck girder bridge crosses the Big Blue River and is one of a series of three similar bridges in the immediate area.
Originally built in 1901, the bridge features four deck girder spans. In 1924, the southern two spans were replaced with newer identical spans. The bridge rests on concrete and stone substructures.
The two build dates (1901 and 1924) are very similar to the Turkey Creek Bridge less than a mile away. That bridge also had spans replaced the same year, and features both stone and concrete substructures. The northern two spans are also shorter than the southern two spans. In addition, the abutments are large concrete parapet style structures.
Spans like this are common for small to medium sized waterway and roadway crossings. Simple to construct, they are also easy to maintain and will last 100 years or more.
This bridge is unique because of the upgraded deck girders. While both sets of spans are both approximately the same depth, the two channel spans were replaced for an unknown reason. It is possible that a flood knocked them out, evidenced by the center and north piers, which are rounded concrete structures often seen on Rock Island bridges built in the 1920s.
The southern pier has also been reinforced with sheet piling, but appears to be a typical ca. 1901 concrete pier with squared edges. The sheet piling has created an island, with trees growing within it.
Furthermore, stone piers and abutments seem to be rather uncommon along this line. The south abutment has a stone base, but a concrete top that appears to date to around 1901. The north abutment appears to be the same 1901 vintage.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. The sheet piling around the south pier needs to be redone to prevent tree roots from damaging the structure.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview, looking at the south spans. Because the bridge is significantly treed in, it is impossible to get a photo of the complete structure.
| Upstream | BNSF Big Blue River Bridge (Crete) |
| Downstream | BNSF Big Blue River Bridge (Hoag) |