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Valparaiso Trail Bridge

Pratt Through Truss over North Oak Creek
Valparaiso, Saunders County, Nebraska

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Name Valparaiso Trail Bridge
Built By Union Pacific Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Saunders County
Length 147 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Pratt Through Truss
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1908
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
UP Bridge Number 0.54
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date January 2017


Sitting just west of Valparaiso is this large truss bridge.
Built in 1908 to replace an older bridge destroyed in flooding, this large Pratt Through Truss structure spans North Oak Creek.
Consisting of a main 7-panel pin connected Pratt Through Truss, the bridge sits on concrete abutments, which were likely rebuilt during the 1940s or later.
The bridge is also a standard Union Pacific design, specifically between 1890 and 1910. It is unknown if the bridge is original to this location or not.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Currently, it carries a trail.

The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is looking east across the bridge. The bridge is easily accessed from nearby roads.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Based on washout of previous bridge
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele