DAIR Bridge #T-492 1/2

Located alongside Iowa Highway 12 in Westfield, this small deck plate girder bridge carries a former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) line over an unnamed creek. The first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle bridge, which had been periodically renewed since it was first constructed. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Milwaukee Road made improvements to this line, replacing deteriorated timber bridges with steel spans. A secondhand steel span was installed at this location in 1943, and new timber pile trestle spans constructed. Currently, the bridge consists of a single 30-foot deck plate girder span, approached by a 14-foot timber pile trestle span on either end. The entire bridge is set onto timber pile substructures. The steel span was originally fabricated in approximately 1900 at an unknown location, before being moved here. The steel span uses a standard design for shallow twinned deck girders, with four shallow girder lines and transverse bracing constructed of plates. It is unclear if the span was originally design with four girder lines, or if two additional girders were added when it was relocated here. An unknown contractor fabricated the superstructure, while the timber components were constructed by railroad company forces. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Railroads often reused steel spans, as it provided a cost effective way to upgrade bridges without requiring a large amount of new material. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some deterioration to the timber components. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.