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UP Wright County Ditch #3 Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Wright County Ditch #3
Galt, Wright County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name UP Wright County Ditch #3 Bridge
Built By Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway
Contractor Milliken Brothers of New York, New York
Currently Owned By Union Pacific Railroad
Length 84 Feet Total, 28 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete and Stone Masonry
Date Built 1901
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
C&NW Bridge Number 118.00
UP Bridge Number 8.96
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date July 2019


Located southeast of Galt, this unique deck girder bridge crosses Wright County Ditch #3.
Built in 1901, the bridge consists of three spans of deck plate girder, set onto concrete substructures. It also appears that the abutments may have reused some older stone as well. Helper bents have been added on either side of the east pier.
Plaques on the bridge indicate the spans were built by Milliken Brothers of New York. This obscure contractor is only known to have built two other railroad spans, one for the RI in Oklahoma, and one for the Frisco in Missouri.
Helper bents were added to the bridge, due to the failure of the east pier. It appears that pier has begun to crush, and is significantly deteriorated.
Unfortunately, the future of this bridge is cloudy. Many of the crossings near Dows have been paved over, and it is rumored that Union Pacific may abandon the Clarion-Dows line.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with little notable deterioration on the bridge other than the east pier. Currently, rail cars are occasionally stored west of the bridge.

The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the common design and obscure builder.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele