BNSF 84th Street Bridge

Located near the small town of Emerald, this deck girder bridge crosses 84th Street and Middle Creek south of Interstate 80. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber trestle. In 1921, the bridge would be reconstructed with a single track bridge, utilizing a 80-foot, a 60-foot and a 50-foot deck plate girder span, approached by one concrete slab span on the east and four on the west. The substructures of the bridge would be made of concrete and concrete piles, with the main piers being wide enough for two tracks. In approximately 1980, modern but similar spans would be added to the north side of the bridge, utilizing the second track space on the concrete piers. At a later time, the west approach was reconstructed with concrete modular girder spans, set onto steel pile substructures. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. An additional date stamp on the bridge dates one of the piers to 1918. It is possible work began on the bridge well before it was constructed. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. There was some cracking noted through the east approach and the piers. The author has raked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.