UP Pike River Bridge (Kenosha)

Located north of Kenosha, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway mainline over the Pike River. The first bridge at this location likely consisted of a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was first built. In late 1874 or early 1875, a new lattice deck truss bridge was constructed, set onto new stone substructures. During a double tracking project in 1892, the bridge was again rebuilt with a new deck plate girder bridge, set onto new stone substructures. This bridge consisted of a 52-foot and two 51-foot deck plate girder spans, fabricated by the Lassig Bridge & Iron Works. The stone substructures were constructed by an unknown contractor using white limestone quarried at Duck Creek, Wisconsin. In the late 1920s, the C&NW made a number of upgrades to this line, replacing lighter bridges with new heavier steel bridges. In 1929, a new deck plate girder bridge with two new concrete piers was constructed, giving the bridge its present configuration. It is likely that the 1892 spans were reused elsewhere on the C&NW system.

Currently, the bridge consists of an 84-foot and two 35-foot deck plate girder spans, set onto stone abutments constructed in 1892 and concrete piers constructed in 1929. The main span uses a standard design, with two heavy plate girders and and an open deck. The approach spans also use a standard design, with two shallow girders and a large beam where they are connected to the main span. The concrete piers consist of standard diamond shaped structures, while the abutments use a standard design with stepped wing walls. An unknown contractor fabricated the superstructure, while two unknown contractors constructed the piers and abutments. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Since the 1929 construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations. Today, only the eastern track remains in use, while the western track has had the ties and rails removed. 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.