Fox River Trail - Mill Creek Bridge

Located along Illinois Route 31 between Batavia and North Aurora, this historic pony truss bridge once carried the Chicago & North Western Railway over Mill Creek. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber truss bridge, constructed when the line was built. In 1915, the bridge would be rebuilt with the current bridge. Currently, the bridge consists of a 72-foot, 6-panel, riveted double intersection Warren pony truss span, set onto stone and concrete abutments. The truss uses a design typical for the era, including solid members, light riveted connections and a traditionally composed floor. It appears that the span was clearly reused from an unknown location, and likely was fabricated in approximately 1885. It is unknown if the bridge was strengthened or repaired upon installation at this location. Alden & Lassig Bridge & Iron Works fabricated most known examples of this span design, although no plaque could be found on this bridge. This design of pony truss was the standard for the C&NW through the 1880s and early 1890s, as it was durable and easy to construct. Most of these truss spans became too light for mainline traffic between 1900 and 1910, and several were reused on branch lines or as overpasses. Often, railroads reused steel and iron spans as a way to save on bridge construction costs. These spans were often still strong enough to hold branch line traffic, and could be disassembled and re-erected by railroad company labor. Upon abandonment of the line, the bridge was converted to a trail, and now serves the Fox River Trail. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. The substructures of the bridge have some slight damage to the stone, while the superstructure appears to be in good condition. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the design and unknown history.