UP Kishwaukee River Bridge (Cherry Valley)

Cherry Valley, Winnebago County, Illinois

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Name	UP Kishwaukee River Bridge (Cherry Valley) Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #433
Built By	Chicago & North Western Railway
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	382 Feet Total, 70 Foot Main Spans
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder and Steel Stringer
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry, Concrete and Steel Pile
Date Built	1988, Using Spans Fabricated c. 1905
Original Location	Unknown
Traffic Count	1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number	433
Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	84.41
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	4/20/2019; 10/23/2022

In 1836, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad (G&CU) was charted to construct a railroad line between Chicago and Galena, Illinois. After attempts to construct the railroad in the late 1830s, the company came to a halt due to lack of funds. William B. Ogden was elected director of the G&CU in 1847, and construction on the railroad began in 1848. That year, the first four miles to present day Oak Park were constructed. In 1849, the railroad reached Turner Junction (West Chicago), thirty miles west of downtown Chicago. By the end of 1850, the railroad had reached Elgin, and in 1852, the railroad would reach Rockford. In 1853, the line would be extended to Freeport, Illinois; where it connected to the Illinois Central Railroad. The G&CU realized the company would be better served by constructing a mainline west towards Iowa, and never extended the line past Freeport. In total, the line would be 121 miles in length. The G&CU was consolidated with the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1864. The C&NW was beginning to construct and acquire a large network of railroads throughout the Midwest. The West Chicago to Freeport line formed a secondary route, connecting industries to Chicago.

Through the 20th Century, this route began to decline in significance. The C&NW would become a prominent railroad in the midwest, eventually building a system over 11,000 miles long. By the 1970s, industries had closed and passenger traffic disappeared. In 1981, the C&NW would abandon the segment between Rockford and Freeport. The right-of-way would be purchased by Commonwealth Edison, and portions of the line converted to the Pecatonica Prairie Path. In 1995, the C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad. Today, Union Pacific operates the West Chicago to Rockford segment as the Belvidere Subdivision, which mainly serves the Stellanis Plant in Belvidere. Metra service is scheduled to begin to Rockford in 2027, and utilize this line between Elgin and Rockford. West of Rockford, much of the route has become part of the Pecatonica Prairie Path.

Located in Cherry Valley, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway over the Kishwaukee River. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle. In 1858, the bridge was reconstructed with three 120-foot wooden truss spans, reused from the Rock River bridge near Nelson, Illinois. At this time, stone substructures were constructed for the bridge. The bridge was again reconstructed in 1887, when Lassig Bridge & Iron Works constructed three new 120-foot quadrangular lattice through truss spans, reusing the previous stone substructures. By the late 20th Century, the truss bridge had become too light for traffic, and would need to be replaced. The current deck plate girder bridge would be constructed in early 1988.

The bridge consists of five 70-foot deck plate girder spans and one 32-foot steel stringer span, set onto steel pile and concrete substructures. It appears the only portion of the old bridge reused is the east abutment, which was heavily modified with concrete. The steel stringer span on the east end was added to accommodate the skew of the existing abutment. The deck plate girder spans were originally fabricated in approximately 1905, and originally used at an unknown location. These spans have a missing plaque that identifies them as being fabricated by American Bridge Company. These spans may have been constructed for the C&NW or a predecessor railroad, and were likely saved from scrapping as they were still in good condition. It is also possible that these spans were originally located at separate locations. Railroads often reused steel spans, as it provided a cost effective way to reconstruct bridges without requiring new material. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Erection date	Rockford Register Star; April 21, 1988
Builder	Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele