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Waverly Interurban Bridge

Concrete Arch Bridge over Unnamed Stream
Waverly, Bremer County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Waverly Interurban Bridge
Built By Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railway
Contractor Gould Construction Company of Davenport, Iowa
Currently Owned By Private?
Length 25 Feet Total (Estimated)
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Concrete Arch
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1910
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned)
Current Status Abandoned
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date February 2020


Located on the east side of Waverly, this historic concrete arch is one of the few remains of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railway.
Built in 1909-1910, the bridge consists of a single concrete arch span, constructed by Gould Construction. Several bridges constructed by Gould existed along the WCF&N, although few are left.
Since it was abandoned, the arch has been left untouched. It currently sits along Iowa Highway 3, and crosses a small drainage stream.
The arch is rather large, approximately 25 feet in length. The entire length, including the parapet abutments is somewhere around 100 feet. Due to the immense tree cover, accurate measurements of the bridge cannot be made.
It is believed that Thomas Edsall Rust worked on this bridge as one of his first projects with the WCF&N.
This is one of four arches along the WCF&N that is still standing. Two large arches were replaced in 2011/2012 due to flooding issues.
Overall, the bridge is in fair to poor condition. The south face of the arch has begun to severely deteriorate, and the arch line has begun to pull away from the rest of the structure.

The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the status as a remaining WCF&N arch.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

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