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Wildcat Creek Trail Bridge (North)

Warren Through Truss Bridge over Wildcat Creek
Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Wildcat Creek Trail Bridge (North)
Built By Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Likely Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Currently Owned By City of Manhattan
Length 124 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Warren Through Truss
Substructure Type Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built Ca. 1905
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
RI Bridge Number 1464
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date March 2017


This Warren Through Truss bridge carries the Linear Trail over Wildcat Creek.
A common design, the bridge was built in approximately 1905. The Rock Island built numerous structures like this throughout the Midwest.
The truss is a common 124 foot long riveted Warren Through Truss, comprised of 6 panels. It is a great example of this type of bridge.
In addition to this structure, there was another bridge of the same design over the Kansas River in Manhattan.
While that structure was not preserved, the leaders of Manhattan fortunately saw some value of this structure.
The bridge rests on stone and concrete substructures.

The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design. Other spans share the same design, such as the nearby Paxico Rail Bridge.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from nearby roads, as it crosses diagonally under Seth Child Road.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Based on identical structures
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele