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Abandoned Rooks Creek Bridge

Closed Spandrel Concrete Arch Bridge over Rooks Creek
South of Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Abandoned Rooks Creek Bridge
Built By Bloomington, Pontiac & Joliet Interurban
Contractor Fisher Construction Company of Joliet, Illinois
Currently Owned By Private Owner
Length 260 Feet Total, 60 Foot Spans
Width 1 Tracks
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Concrete Arch
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1909
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned)
Current Status Abandoned
Significance Moderate Significance
Documentation Date June 2015
The Bloomington, Pontiac & Joliet interuban was originally intended to connect Joliet, Illinois to Bloomington, Illinois. Construction began in 1905.
The original line connected Dwight and Pontiac, but expansions were made south to Chenoa and north to Wilmington, but never were used.
The line directly paralleled the future US-66, which eventually took the bulk of the traffic. The line only connected Dwight and Pontiac for its life, and was abandoned in 1925.
08/15/21


Located between Pontiac and Chenoa, this unique concrete arch was abandoned soon after completion, and likely never saw a train.
Built in 1909, the bridge consists of four concrete arch spans, set onto concrete substructures. Located next to the Union Pacific Bridge, this span features some decorative features.
Other arches were planned to built or were built between Pontiac and Chenoa, but are no longer in existence. This was the largest span between Chenoa and Pontiac.
Unfortunately, this unique arch is in extremely poor condition. It has serious defects throughout the entire bridge, and may eventually collapse.

The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the large scale size and the unique design.
The photo above is an overview. The author hopes to return to this location in the near future for better photos.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Historic Article
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele



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