KCT 2nd Street Bridge

View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Engineering News Record; Volume 80, Issue 9)
View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Engineering News Record; Volume 80, Issue 9)
View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Railway Age; Volume 64, Issue 10)
View an article about the construction of the Highline Bridge and Viaduct (Railway Review; Volume 67, Issue 8)

Located at 2nd Street and Berger Street, this bridge carries the Union Pacific Connection Track across 2nd Street. Built in 1918 as part of the sprawling Highline Bridge and Viaduct complex, the bridge consists of a 30-foot concrete stringer span, approached by a 15-foot concrete slab span on either end. The entire bridge is set onto concrete substructures, and a few decorative features, such as an arched approach spans and imprints, can be seen throughout the bridge. The slab approaches are known as a "box abutment", a design KCT utilized to maximize limited space at street crossings. Box abutments were utilized extensively from the 1930s through the 1960s, as they utilized a large bearing area with less material than a traditional span set onto concrete substructures. This particular bridge appears to be a relatively early example of this design. These approaches were constructed monolithically (constructed in one pour), and the piers are wider at the base than at the top. The main span of the bridge is made up of four parallel concrete stringers per track, designed to avoid the use of a center pier. Each girder is 2 feet wide and 4 feet deep, and utilizes 14-1.25" bars placed longitudinally throughout the girder.

As the bridge is located on a steep decent, the east end of the bridge is taller than the west end. This portion of the viaduct complex was originally constructed to reach the 7th Street Passenger Station, Union Pacific Railroad yards and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad yards. Today, the yard complexes are both intact, albeit significantly smaller than during the peak of American railroading during the 1940s and 1950s. Union Pacific continues to operate the Armstrong Yard, while KCT obtained ownership of the Rock Island yard in 1980 after the Rock Island went bankrupt. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no significant deterioration to the bridge itself. Minor spalling, cracking and drainage issues can be seen throughout the bridge. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.