Illinois Prairie Path - Volunteers Bridge

View an article discussing the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway
View an article discussing the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway

Located in Wheaton, this small through truss carries the Elgin Branch of the Illinois Prairie Path over the Union Pacific Railroad (former Chicago & North Western Railway). In 1899, planning for what would become the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway (AE&C) began, with the intention of offering rapid transit service between Chicago and towns in the Fox River Valley. L.J. Wolf and Will Christy both were prominent promoters of electric railways in the late 19th Century, and partnered to construct a number of electric railroads in Ohio. Will Christie was also president of the Cleveland Construction Company, which constructed many interurban lines. William M. Hughes would be retained as Consulting Engineer for all bridge work. Work began in 1901, and was substantially completed in 1902, with the Cleveland Construction Company completing the concrete work. Bridges and culverts along the line mainly consisted of concrete arches, concrete box culverts and some steel girder spans.

The first bridge at this location was a timber pony truss bridge, with wooden trestle approaches. It is unknown if this structure was a temporary structure, or if a separate streetcar line operated a line at the same location. In 1901 or early 1902, the current structure would be installed. Initially, the bridge consisted of a 159-foot, 7-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss span, approached by a 66-foot through plate girder span. The steel spans were fabricated by the King Bridge Company, and the concrete abutments constructed by the Cleveland Construction Company. The truss span would be constructed at a heavy 39-degree skew, and used a design typical of freight railroad spans. Members of the truss consisted of heavily built up members, and the bridge utilized an A-frame portal. A steel bent pier was used between the truss and approach span. In 1911, the bridge was extended, and a 77-foot through plate girder and two 31-foot steel stringer spans installed to cross Wesley Street. These spans were fabricated by the Indiana Bridge Company. The approach spans were skewed, to accommodate the curve of the railroad. The bridge remained largely unchanged from this configuration until the mid-1960s, when the approach spans were removed, leaving only the truss.

In 1984, the remaining truss bridge was rehabilitated for trail use, and new prefabricated pedestrian truss spans installed on the concrete piers. The bridge remained in this configuration, until it was again reconstructed in 2010. During the 2010 reconstruction, the approach spans were replaced with four prefabricated pedestrian truss spans on new concrete substructures, and the deck on the truss span was raised to improve clearances under the approaches. In addition, the original steel bent pier was encased in concrete at this time. Since the 2010 reconstruction, the bridge has not seen significant changes. It is reported that this bridge was the only truss bridge initially constructed when the CA&E was initially constructed. The Pratt truss design was the most popular truss bridge design during the late 19th Century, although it was superseded by riveted Warren designs in the early 20th Century. A later example of a CA&E through truss over the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway at West Chicago utilized a riveted design. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, although significant deterioration can be seen throughout the truss span. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.