Hurds Island Railroad Bridge (East)

View an article discussing this track elevation project (digitized by Google)
View an article discussing this track elevation project (digitized by Google)
View an article discussing this track elevation project (digitized by Internet Archive)

Located in Aurora, this concrete slab bridge carries the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad over the eastern channel of the Fox River at Hurds Island. Since the CB&Q reached Aurora in the 1849, the city had served as a major terminal for the CB&Q. In the early 20th Century, railroad congestion became a serious concern for residents in Aurora. The City of Chicago had successfully ordered elevations of various railroads throughout the city, resulting in the construction of retaining walls, with underpasses constructed at the street crossings. Understanding the concerns of the public, the CB&Q sought to improve operations and fix the traffic problem by realigning and elevating the tracks through Aurora. As part of the work, two new large bridges would be constructed over the Fox River, to replace the old bridge upstream. Construction on the project began in 1914, although much of the work was delayed due to World War I. Work on the project resumed in 1919, with the section west of Broadway opening to eastbound traffic in April 1920, and to westbound traffic in September of that year. The entire project was completed in November 1922, at a cost of $4,500,000. The railroad spared no expense, constructing new facilities and including decorative features in the bridges. Design and construction of the project was under A.W. Newton, Chief Engineer of the railroad. Company forces constructed all of the concrete work, and contractors were used for the earthwork.

The eastern of the two bridges at Hurds Island consists of two 65-foot open spandrel concrete arch spans, set onto concrete substructures. The structure is constructed of primary concrete arches, with spandrel arches supporting the concrete deck above. Inside the arch, longitudinal concrete beams support the concrete deck. The concrete deck appears to have been constructed in place, instead of precast offsite. A number of decorative features were used for the bridge, particularly at the piers and abutments. The abutments of the bridge consist of U-shaped concrete structures, which extend approximately 70 feet and are constructed parallel to the tracks. The bridge also utilizes a drainage system, which consists of iron downspouts, which outlet through the bottom of the main arch. This bridge is the smaller of the two Hurds Island bridges, with the west channel bridge using three spans. While the bridge was constructed for three tracks, only two remain in use today. The piers and abutments of the bridge were constructed wide enough to hold two additional tracks on the north side of the bridge, but the additional superstructure was never constructed.

Open spandrel arches were used where it was not cost effective to construct a closed spandrel arch. These structures were often more difficult to construct, and required more effort to design. It is likely that the CB&Q chose to use a concrete arch structure at this location instead of a girder bridge, as the design provided greater aesthetic value. During the relocation and elevation of the line through Aurora, the CB&Q placed great importance on maintaining aesthetics instead of constructing utilitarian structures. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen little change. Timber cribbing has been added to the south face of the east span to help support the edge of the concrete deck. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with only minor spalling noted throughout the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the lack of open spandrel concrete arches constructed for railroad use in the area.