Click the photo to view the full-size version
| Name | Sangamon Valley Trail - Washington Street Bridge Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #1865 |
| Built By | Chicago & North Western Railway |
| Currently Owned By | Sangamon County |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 195 Feet Total, 65 Foot Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1924 |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Open to Pedestrian Traffic) |
| Current Status | Open to Pedestrian Traffic |
| Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number | 1865 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 2/17/2024 |
In 1890, the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad (CP&StL) completed 44 miles of new railroad from Madison, Illinois to Litchfield, Illinois. The railroad became part of the Litchfield & Madison Railway (L&M) in 1900. In 1901, the Peoria & Northwestern Railway (P&NW) completed 83 miles of railroad, extending from the existing Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) mainline at Nelson, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois. The P&NW was a subsidiary of the C&NW, and would be fully absorbed by 1902. In 1904, the Macoupin County Railway (MCR) constructed an additional 24 miles from Benld, Illinois to Girard, Illinois. The MCR was acquired by the St. Louis, Peoria & Northwestern Railway (StLP&NW) in 1912. The StLP&NW was another C&NW subsidiary, and constructed an additional 93 miles from Kickapoo (Peoria) to Benld in 1913 before being sold to the C&NW. The same year, the Macoupin County Extension Railway (MCER) completed an additional 3 miles from Girard to Staunton, Illinois before being acquired by the C&NW in 1914. In 1927, the C&NW constructed an additional 2.5 miles to DeCamp, where the line met the L&M. The C&NW obtained trackage rights over the L&M to reach Madison at the same time. This route provided the C&NW with a direct source of quality coal, and connected to other railroads throughout southern Illinois.
The C&NW would become a prominent railroad in the Midwest,
eventually building a system over 11,000 miles long. The L&M would be acquired by the C&NW in 1957, and the C&NW would abandon the line from Mt. Olive to Litchfield in 1961, and from DeCamp to Mt. Olive in 1972. By the late 20th Century, this route slowly had lost importance. In 1995, the
C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). UP abandoned the line between DeCamp and Stallings in 1998, as well as the segment from Barr to Girard. In addition, the DeCamp to Monterey Junction segment was sold to the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) in 1998. Today, UP operates the Peoria Subdivision between Nelson and Barr, and NS operates the Monterey Branch from Monterey Junction to DeCamp. Portions of the line near Springfield have become part of the Sangamon Valley Trail. When complete, the trail will connect Girard to Athens (Barr).
View historic articles discussing the construction of this line (digitalized by Internet Archive)
Located on the west side of Springfield, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway over Washington Street. Initially, the bridge was constructed as a 40-foot deck plate girder span, supported by timber pile piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans on either end. Timber approaches were used extensively on this line, particularly at bridges located on large embankments. These temporary approaches allowed the embankment to settle without damaging or destroying concrete substructures. By the early 1920s, most of the temporary approaches on this line had been replaced with permanent construction. In 1924, the original bridge would be replaced by the current structure. It is unknown if the original deck girder span was reused elsewhere on the C&NW system. The bridge consists of three 65-foot deck plate girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. The girder spans use a standard design, which are heavily constructed. In addition, the bridge originally used a ballast deck, constructed of precast concrete panels. It is currently unknown what contractor fabricated the girders, or what contractor constructed the concrete substructures. Deck girder spans were often used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. In 2011, the bridge was rehabilitated for use as part of the Sangamon Valley Trail, which utilizes the former C&NW right-of-way in Sangamon County. As part of the rehabilitation, the original ballast deck was removed and replaced with a timber trail deck. 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.
Citations
| Build date | Chicago & North Western Valuation Maps at the Chicago & North Western Historical Society Archives |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |