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WSOR Ice Age Trail Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Ice Age Trail (Former Mill Race)
Janesville, Rock County, Wisconsin

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name WSOR Ice Age Trail Bridge
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Currently Owned By Wisconsin & Southern Railroad
Length 230 Feet Total, 115 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built 1900
Traffic Count 4 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
MILW Bridge Number A-534
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date June 2014 and March 2022


View an article about the construction of this bridge.
This is a massive two span deck girder crosses what was formerly a mill race, now the Ice Age Trail in Janesville.
Built in 1900, the bridge consists of two massive deck girder spans, set onto concrete abutments and a stone pier. The girders themselves are each 115' long, extremely long for early 20th century construction.
The stone pier is also unusual, as the abutments are constructed of concrete. The bridge was constructed as the Milwaukee Road began to switch from stone to concrete substructures.
Between 2014 and 2017, the two concrete abutments were encased in concrete as part of a rehabilitation of the bridge, which also included a new deck.

Historic Photo
Historic photo of the bridge

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

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Railway Review, Volume 40
Contractor Railway Review, Volume 40
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele