UP US-169 Bridge (Blue Earth)

Blue Earth, Faribault County, Minnesota

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North approach
South approach
South pier
Overview
South abutment
North pier
Plaque
Overview

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North approach
South approach
South pier
Overview
South abutment
North pier
Plaque
Overview
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Name UP US-169 Bridge (Blue Earth)
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #427 1/2
Built By Chicago & North Western Railway
Currently Owned By Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor Clinton Bridge Works of Clinton, Iowa
Length 199 Feet Total, 47 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 14 Feet 1 Inch
Superstructure Design Steel Stringer and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design Timber Pile
Date Built 1932
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number 427 1/2
Significance Minimal Significance
Documentation Date 7/7/2017

In 1899, the Minnesota & Iowa Railway (M&I) began construction of a new railroad between the existing Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) line at Sanborn, Minnesota, extending 47 miles to Fox Lake, Minnesota. The same year, the Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern Railway (IM&NW) constructed 59 miles of new railroad extending from Mason City, Iowa to Blue Earth, Minnesota. In 1900, that railroad would complete an additional 29 miles to Fox Lake. Both the M&I and IM&NW became part of the Chicago & North Western Railway in 1900. The C&NW operated this as a secondary route, connecting traffic coming from South Dakota and Minnesota to the mainline through Iowa, via an extension to Belle Plaine, Iowa.


In 1989, the C&NW sold the Sanborn to Comfrey segment to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E) and abandoned the segment between Comfrey and Butterfield. The DM&E would promptly abandon the Sanborn to Comfrey segment, and sell it to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. In 1995, the C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad. Today, Union Pacific operates the segment between Butterfield and Mason City as the Fairmont Subdivision. The segment from Butterfield to Comfrey has been mostly regraded, and the segment from Comfrey to Sanborn is railbanked.

Located on the south side of Blue Earth, this nondescript steel stringer bridge crosses US Highway 169 (Grove Street). Built in 1932, the bridge consists of a single 47-foot steel stringer span, set onto timber pile piers and approached by 3 timber pile trestle spans on either end. The bridge also runs at a heavy 45-degree skew. The steel components of the bridge were built by Clinton Bridge Works, which fabricated a number of small steel bridges for the C&NW during this time. It is surprising that a more substantial steel and concrete bridge was not built for this crossing. Overall, the bridge appears to be in poor condition, with deterioration noted in the timber and steel components of the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the exceptionally common design.

Citations

Builder and build date Builders Plaque
Railroad History Citation ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele