NS Ackerman Creek Bridge (West)

Name	NS Ackerman Creek Bridge (West) Lake Erie & Western Railroad Bridge #1003
Built By	New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad
Currently Owned By	Norfolk Southern Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	101 Feet Total, 60 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry, Concrete and Timber Pile
Date Built	1949
Traffic Count	2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Lake Erie & Western Railroad Bridge Number	1003
Norfolk Southern Railway Bridge Number	407.34
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	4/2/2023

In 1872, the LaFayette, Muncie and Bloomington Railroad (LM&B) constructed 36 miles of new railroad, extending from Lafayette, Indiana to the Illinois/Indiana State Line. At the same time, the LaFayette, Bloomington and Mississippi Railway (LB&M) constructed an additional 80 miles of railroad to Bloomington, Illinois. The two railroads would be reorganized into the Lake Erie and Western Railway Company in 1879. The railroad would be reorganized as the Lake Erie and Western Railroad (LE&W) in 1887, and the following year completed a 36 mile extension from Bloomington to Peoria, Illinois.

The LE&W had acquired a modest railroad network, with several lines throughout Indiana, Ohio and Illinois. This line served as the mainline for the railroad, connecting Lake Erie at Sandusky, Ohio to the Illinois River at Peoria. The LE&W came under the control of the New York Central Railroad (NYC) in 1900, and was sold to the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate) in 1922. This line served as a secondary line for the Nickel Plate, running roughly parallel to the Nickel Plate line between Lake Erie and St. Louis. In 1964, the Nickel Plate merged with the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W), which merged with the Southern Railway in 1982 to form Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). NS abandoned the segment between Gibson City and Cheneyville in 1986, and sold the Cheneyville to Lafayette segment to the Kankakee, Beaverville & Southern Railroad (KBSR) in 1991. Today, NS continues to operate the Bloomington District between Peoria and Gibson City, and the KBSR continues to operate the Cheneyville to Lafayette section.

Located along Veterans Road in East Peoria, this deck plate girder bridge is the western crossing of Ackerman Creek along the former Nickel Plate Road. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle. In the 1890s, the Lake Erie & Western Railroad upgraded this line, replacing timber bridges with steel and stone structures. It is believed a 60-foot deck plate girder span replaced the timber pile trestle in approximately 1895. In the late 1940s, the Nickel Plate invested significant capital into upgrading bridges along this line, installing a number of girder spans between 1947 and 1950. In 1949, the bridge would be replaced by the current span. In the 1970s, the west abutment of the bridge was destroyed in a flash flood, and a new timber pile trestle approach was constructed west of the girder span, giving the bridge its current configuration. Currently, the bridge consists of a 60-foot deck plate girder span, approached by three timber pile trestle spans on the west end. The east abutment consists of stone reused from the 1890s bridge, which was repaired with concrete in 1949. The west end of the girder span sits on a timber pile pier. American Bridge Company fabricated the deck girder, while the concrete and timber work was completed by railroad forces. This type of bridge was popular for railroad use, 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 this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Builder and build date	American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

NS Ackerman Creek Bridge (West)

East Peoria, Tazewell County, Illinois