Abandoned IL Route 31 Bridge (St. Charles)

St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois

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Name	Abandoned IL Route 31 Bridge (St. Charles) Chicago Great Western Railway Bridge #C36.52
Built By	Chicago Great Western Railway
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Substructure Contractor	Powers-Thompson Construction Company of Joliet, Illinois
Length	235 Feet Total, 100 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1960
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned)
Current Status	Abandoned
Chicago Great Western Railway Bridge Number	C36.52
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	12/1/2024

In 1887, the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad (M&NW) constructed 147 miles of new railroad, extending from Aiken to Forest Park, Illinois. At Aiken, the railroad began at the Illinois Central Railroad, which offered the railroad trackage rights into Dubuque. At Dubuque, the line connected to the rest of the M&NW system. At Forest Park, the line connected to the Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT), which continued to downtown Chicago via the St. Charles Airline. In 1894 the M&NW would be sold to the Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW). The CGW had acquired and constructed a modest railroad network throughout Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota; connecting major cities in these states. The CGW was one of the smaller railroads in the area, and was late to the game. As a result, the railroad never saw the fortunes of other railroads in the area. This line served as the eastern portion of the CGW system, connecting Chicago with Kansas City, Omaha or the Twin Cities. The CGW would be acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1968. The C&NW already operated parallel, better constructed routes in Illinois and Wisconsin. As a result, traffic on this line dwindled to largely local movements, and conditions of the track deteriorated.

The line would be abandoned in several stages. The segment from Forest Park to Elmhurst was abandoned in 1970, followed by the segment from Aiken to Byron in 1972, the segment from Elmhurst to Villa Park in 1974 and the segment from St. Charles to Sycamore in 1977. The portion from Sycamore to Byron was abandoned in 1981, and a small spur was sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad to access a power plant. Further abandonments came in 1985 between Villa Park and Carol Stream and in 1993, when a section around the DuPage Airport was realigned. The C&NW was purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. The segment from Kirk Road to St. Charles would be abandoned in 2011. Today, Union Pacific operates the remaining trackage around West Chicago, and CPKC operates the spur at Byron. Between St. Charles and Sycamore and West Chicago and Forest Park, the line is now part of the Great Western Trail.

Located on the north side of St. Charles, this large deck girder bridge carries the former Chicago Great Western Railway over Illinois Route 31 (2nd Street). Originally, Route 31 was routed via 5th Street and crossed under a small steel stringer bridge carrying the CGW. By the late 1950s, this configuration had led to significant traffic problems in St. Charles, and a project was planned to realign Route 31. Construction began in late 1960, and was completed in the spring of 1961. As part of the project, a new deck girder bridge would be constructed to carry the CGW over the new alignment of Route 31. After completion of the new alignment, the original underpass at 5th Street would be filled, and the superstructure removed.

Currently, the bridge consists of a 100-foot deck plate girder span, approached by a 65-foot span on either side. The entire bridge is set onto concrete substructures, and runs at a heavy skew. The girder spans are constructed of a typical design for the era, using large plate girders with a traditional bracing. This type of bridge was popular during the early 20th Century, but was gradually superseded by concrete and stringer designs during the later half of the 20th Century. This particular structure contains no decorative features, and is exclusively functional. In approximately 2000, a separate pedestrian truss bridge would be added to the north side of the bridge to carry the Great Western Trail. Portions of the former CGW west and east of St. Charles are currently used as the Great Western Trail, a popular rail-trail in the area. It is likely that this bridge, and the railroad line through St. Charles will eventually become part of the trail. Property records indicate that the bridge is currently owned by Union Pacific Railroad, although it is unknown if negotiations have occurred to acquire the right-of-way. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, and continues to be well maintained. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design and newer age.

Citations

Build date	National Bridge Inventory (NBI)
Builder (substructure)	St. Charles Chronicle; October 12th, 1960
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele