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| Name | TP&W Peoria Street Bridge |
| Built By | Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway |
| Currently Owned By | Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 100 Feet Total, 57 Foot Main Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 13 Feet 3 Inches |
| Superstructure Design | Through Plate Girder and Concrete Slab |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | c. 1920 |
| Traffic Count | 2 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 4/2/2023 |
In 1857, the Logansport, Peoria & Burlington Railroad (LP&B) completed a new railroad line, extending from Lomax, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois, via Galesburg, Illinois. The railroad completed east to Gilman the same year, and reached Logansport, Indiana in 1859. Because the funding for the LP&B was primarily funded by the Central Military Tract Railroad, which became part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q); the Peoria to Lomax segment of the line was sold to the CB&Q in 1860 and quickly became part of the principal mainline for that railroad. The name of the LP&B was changed to the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad in 1864, and the railroad sought a renewed connection to the Mississippi River. The following year, the TP&W purchased the Mississippi & Wabash Railroad in 1865, which had previously completed a branch line from Warsaw, Illinois to Carthage, Illinois. Construction began on a new line, extending from Elvaston to Peoria. The new route opened to traffic in 1869. At the same time, the Keokuk & Hamilton Bridge Company began construction of a combined railroad and roadway bridge across the Mississippi River, which would be completed in 1871. A branch line from LaHarpe, Illinois to Lomax would be constructed the same year. By 1880, the TP&W would be reorganized as the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway (TP&W); and leased by the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway.
The TP&W provided a crucial bridge connection between the eastern and western railroads, bypassing Chicago and other congested interchange points. The Wabash lease of the railroad ended in 1887, and the railroad remained independent until 1893. In 1893, the railroad was jointly leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the St. Louis, Keokuk & North Western Railway (CB&Q), although the CB&Q later relinquished their ownership. In 1960, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) gained part ownership of the line, and gained full ownership in 1968 when the Pennsylvania Railroad was merged into Penn Central. Portions of the line between Keokuk and LaHarpe were sold to the Keokuk Junction Railway (KJRY) in 1985. The ATSF sold the line to investors in 1989, which returned the Topeldo, Peoria & Western Railway name to the line. The KJRY purchased the tracks from LaHarpe to Lomax in 1990, and the line from Peoria to LaHarpe in 2005. Today, TP&W continues to operate the line between Peoria and Logansport, while the KJRY operates the line west of Peoria.
Located in Washington, this through plate girder bridge carries the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway over Business US Route 24 (Peoria Street). Little is known about the history of this structure. It is believed this structure was built as a joint effort between the Illinois Department of Public Works and Buildings (now Illinois Department of Transportation) in approximately 1920. The bridge consists of a 57-foot through plate girder span, approached by a 22-foot concrete slab span on either end. The entire bridge is set onto concrete substructures, was built to carry a single track and is set at a heavy skew. The main span of the bridge uses a typical design, including a traditionally composed floor and squared girder ends. The approaches, piers and abutments appear to have been constructed monolithically, which was typical practice for this era. The piers use a decorative design, consisting of concrete columns connected by concrete arches. An unknown contractor fabricated the girder span, while a separate unknown contractor constructed the approach spans and substructures. This type of bridge was commonly used for 1920s and 1930s grade separation structures, as it was durable and easy to construct. Typical of bridges from this era, the structure originally had an attractive coat of paint in addition to the decorative piers. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen relatively few changes. A local effort has been organized to repaint the bridge in the original black paint scheme. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with significant spalling throughout the concrete components of the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |