Jane Addams Trail - Pecatonica River Bridge

Located northwest of Freeport, this historic Pratt through truss bridge carries the former Illinois Central Railroad over the Pecatonica River. In the late 1880s, the Illinois Central Railroad chartered a number of subsidiaries to construct branch and connecting lines throughout the Midwest. To construct these lines, the IC funded the construction and ordered the material for the subsidiary companies. Constructed in 1887, this bridge is the original structure at this location. The bridge consists of a 175-foot, 9-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss span, set onto stone abutments. Typical of IC truss spans from the late 1880s, the bridge utilizes built-up vertical members, a traditionally constructed floor and a decorative portal bracing. The top chord and endposts are composed of built-up beams, with a solid plate on the exterior and X-lacing on the interior. The bottom chord is composed of eyebars. Vertical members consist of built-up beams, composed of heavy X-lacing. The diagonal members consist of eyebars and use a rectangular shape. Similar to other truss spans from this era, the outermost lower connections use a double connection design, with a pinned connection located above and below the floorbeam. The floor is composed of four stringers, which are affixed to the floorbeams. Both the stringers and floorbeams are constructed of plate girders. The lower lateral bracing is composed of metal bars, which are looped at the end and pinned into the floorbeams. The upper lateral bracing consists of metal rods, and is affixed to the top chord. The portal bracing consists of a two-part design, with a crested lattice upper portion and a lattice arch lower portion. The sway bracing is composed of solid beams, which is connected to the vertical members by a rounded lattice heel bracing. The abutments use a standard design, with stepped wing walls extending perpendicular to the track.

Union Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure at their Buffalo, New York plant, and Ryan & McDonald constructed the stone abutments. Union Bridge Company fabricated most IC truss bridges in the mid to late 1880s. Ryan & McDonald was the main contractor on the Madison Branch, as well as other CM&N lines. Stone for the abutments was quarried at an unknown location, and has a yellowish color. The Pratt truss design was the most popular railroad truss bridge design in the late 19th Century, as it was economical, durable and simple. However, the main limitation of this design was the length. In the mid-1880s, railroad spans of this design were generally limited to 200 feet or less, with most spans 150 feet or less. This span represents an unusually long span of this design for the era, particularly when two spans could have been used instead. Since the original construction, it appears that no major alterations have been made to the bridge. A wooden deck and railings have been added to the bridge, and it now serves the Jane Addams trail. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with minor deterioration noted to the substructures. The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the age and truss design.