UP Kickapoo Creek Bridge #4

Located near Bellevue, this quadrangular lattice through truss is the fourth and southernmost bridge carrying the former Chicago & North Western Railway over Kickapoo Creek. At one time, three bridges crossed Kickapoo Creek at this location, including the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway to the west. Initially constructed in 1902, the bridge originally consisted of a through truss span, set onto timber pile piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans on either end. In 1908, the bridge was reconstructed with a new concrete south abutment and a new concrete pier, retaining the trestle approach on the north end. During the initial construction of this line, timber was often allowed for substructures and approaches. By using timber, this allowed the approach embankments to properly settle before constructing permanent substructures. In 1941, the bridge was again modified, and the north approach replaced with steel stringer spans set onto concrete pile substructures. In approximately 1990, an apparent derailment damaged the north end of the bridge, and the northern three spans were replaced with steel stringer spans on steel bents, giving the bridge its current configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of a 148-foot, riveted quadrangular lattice through truss span, set onto a concrete abutment and concrete pier. The north approach consists of two 30-foot, three 25-foot and one 18-foot steel stringer span, set onto concrete pile bents and steel bents. An unknown contractor fabricated the truss span, while the southern three approach spans were fabricated by American Bridge Company. The substructures were constructed by unknown contractors, although the concrete piles may have been constructed by railroad company forces. The truss span uses a standard design, including solid endposts, laced members and an A-frame portal bracing. The approach spans all have four beam lines, and it appears that the northern three spans may have been reused from another location. Evidence of alterations to the northern spans includes empty rivet holes, and the addition of high strength bolts. Concrete pile substructures became popular for railroad use in the 20th Century, as the piles could be fabricated offsite and installed with minimal interruption to traffic. The piles on this structure are larger, and each bent only uses three piles.

Although the lattice truss design was popular in Europe, few American railroads utilized the design. While Union Pacific Railroad, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway and a handful of eastern railroads utilized the design to various extents, no railroad constructed as many lattice truss bridges as the C&NW. Between 1878 and 1930, through trusses constructed by the C&NW nearly exclusively used this design. Although lattice trusses were not popular with American railroads after the 1880s, the C&NW relied heavily on this design, as it had proven to be resilient towards derailments and damage. The main drawback of the design was the unpredictable nature, as the structure was not statically determinant. Since the last reconstruction of the bridge, the structure has seen little changes. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with significant section loss noted throughout the truss span. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the common design.