NS Kankakee River Bridge (Kankakee)

Located on the west side of Kankakee, this large deck plate girder bridge carries the former New York Central Railroad over the Kankakee River and Kennedy Drive (US Route 45). Little is known about the history of this bridge. The first bridge at this location was a wooden deck truss bridge, set onto stone abutments. By the early 20th Century, this bridge had become outdated and unsuitable for traffic. In 1903, the railroad issued contracts to replace the bridge. McLaughlin Construction Company was awarded the contract to reconstruct the substructures of the bridge, and King Bridge Company was awarded the contract to fabricate the superstructure. Work was completed on the bridge in early 1904. The bridge was partially reconstructed in 1942, when some girder spans were replaced, giving the bridge its current configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of six 69-foot deck plate girder spans, approached by two 60-foot deck plate girder spans. The stone substructures from the previous bridge were modified with concrete to accommodate the new bridge, with new intermediate concrete piers constructed. The additions included new concrete sections to the top of the stonework, and the grade of the bridge appears to have been raised at that time. The deck girder spans all use a standard design, and appear to have been painted at the same time. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they provided a cost effective and durable bridge design. The spans use three slightly different variations of the deck plate girder design, with different bracing and flanges.

It is unknown how many spans of the bridge are original to the 1903 construction. The east and west spans (spans #1 and 8) have no visible builders plaques. It is believed these spans were fabricated in approximately 1903. Spans #2, #3, #6 and #7 all have plaques indicating they were constructed by the King Bridge Company in 1896. Spans #4 and #5 appear to have been replaced in 1942, and have no plaques indicating the history of the spans. It is believed these spans were reused from another location, and were originally fabricated in approximately 1910. It is unknown if the 1903 contract with King Bridge Company included the 1896 spans, which may have been fabricated and considered extra for a number of years. It is also possible that the entire bridge was reconstructed with secondhand spans in 1942. Railroads often reused steel spans, as it provided a cost effective way to upgrade bridges. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique history and common design.