UP Kankakee River Bridge (South)

Name	UP Kankakee River Bridge (South) Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Bridge #503
Built By	Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad/CSX Corporation
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	370 Feet Total, 55 Foot Main Spans
Width	2 Tracks
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete Encased Stone Masonry
Date Built	1927
Traffic Count	30 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Bridge Number	503
Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	50.30
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	3/12/2022

In 1872, the Chicago, Danville and Vincennes Railroad constructed 107 miles of new railroad, extending from the Chicago suburb of Dolton, Illinois to Danville, Illinois. The railroad line roughtly paralleled the Illinois/Indiana border. The CD&V would be consolidated into the Chicago and Nashville Railroad in 1877, which would be consolidated into the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (CE&I) the same year. The CE&I provided a connection to industries and coal in southern Illinois and Indiana, and became a strong connecting railroad. By 1888, traffic had reached levels which required a second track to be constructed. The entire route between Dolton and Woodland Junction would be double tracked by 1895. In 1902, the St. Louis-San Fracisco Railway (Frisco) purchased a controlling stake in the CE&I, and funded the Eastern Illinois and St. Louis Railroad Company (EI&StL). The EI&StL constructed an 82-mile cutoff between Woodland Junction and another CE&I line at Villa Grove, Illinois, which would be completed in 1904. By 1913, the Frisco faced financial trouble, and the CE&I was again independent. The CE&I entered bankruptcy in 1933, exiting bankruptcy in 1940.

In 1961, the Missouri Pacific Railroad (MP) began purchasing stock in the railroad, before merging with the CE&I in 1967. As a stipulation of the merger, the Woodland Junction to Evansville line would be sold to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (L&N). The MP and L&N began joint operations on the double tracked segment between Dolton and Woodland Junction. The MP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in 1982. The L&N was absorbed by the Seaboard Coast Line the same year, becoming part of the Seaboard System Railroad. The Seaboard merged with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad/Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to form CSX Transportation in 1986. Today, CSX and UP jointly operate the line between Dolton and Woodland Junction. UP operates the line between Woodland Junction and Villa Grove, while CSX operates the line between Woodland Junction and Danville. The line is known to UP as the Villa Grove Subdivision, and to CSX as the Woodland Subdivision.

Located in Momence, this deck girder bridge is the southern bridge carrying the former Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad over the Kankakee River. The first bridge at this location likely consisted of a single track wooden truss bridge. In 1879, the bridge would be reconstructed with a single track iron through truss bridge. In 1892, the line would be double tracked and the bridge replaced by a new deck plate girder bridge set onto stone piers. The bridge was again renewed in 1927, with a new superstructure and a complete encasement of the original stone substructure. Currently, the bridge consists of six 55-foot and one 40-foot double track deck plate girder spans, set onto stone piers and abutments which have been encased in concrete. The girders use a standard design, and were fabricated by American Bridge Company. It is currently unknown if the substructures were reconstructed by contract or by railroad forces. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Build date	Railway Age; Volume 84, Issue 1
Builder	Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

UP Kankakee River Bridge (South)

Momence, Kankakee County, Illinois