Kaukauna Railroad Bridge (North)

Located at the north end of Schultheis Street in Kaukauna, this lengthy steel stringer bridge carries a former Chicago & North Western Railway industrial lead over the main channel of the Fox River. After the MLS&W first constructed through Kaukauna, several industries began to grow along the Fox River, including a large paper mill complex north of the river. The MLS&W first built a spur to serve the paper mill in 1881. Soon after, a connection was desired between the existing C&NW mainline on the north side of the river and the MLS&W on the south side of the river. The C&NW completed a connection in 1888, including a bridge over the Fox River Navigation Canal. The first bridge across the main branch of the Fox River likely consisted of a wooden pony truss bridge, set onto timber crib piers. By the turn of the 20th Century, wooden truss spans had largely become obsolete for railroad use. In addition, the C&NW began working to replace aging timber bridges over channels and canals of the Fox River in this area. Construction of 17-span steel stringer bridge was completed in 1911. In approximately 1930, the northern two spans were filled, giving the bridge its present configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of fifteen 31-foot steel stringer spans, set onto concrete and steel cylinder substructures. In addition, the bridge is heavily curved at the north end and some of the spans are skewed as well. The superstructure follows a standard design for the era, consisting of six shallow beams arranged into two sets of three. The piers are constructed out of oval shaped cylinders, which have been filled with concrete. The south abutment follows a standard design for abutments, with short sloped wing walls. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, while an unknown contractor constructed the substructures. Steel stringer spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. The C&NW used steel cylinder piers at several major structures during the early 20th Century, as this design of pier was particularly adept to be constructed under live traffic without minimal interruption to service, and required no dredging or cofferdams to reach stable ground. The piers present on this bridge use a slightly different design, with a larger footprint than the circular shapes used on other nearby structures. Many bridges in the Fox Cities area use a similar design to this bridge, due to the dynamic nature of the Fox River and need for lengthy, permanent structures with no concern for clearance underneath. Since the filling of the northern two spans, the bridge has seen no significant alterations, and remains in occasional use to allow for switching at the yard north of the bridge. Today, the bridge is privately owned, but is operated by the Canadian National Railway. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, some potential shifting noted to the substructures. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.