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CP National Avenue Bridge (West)

Concrete Slab Bridge over National Avenue
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name CP National Avenue Bridge (West)
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railway
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Canadian Pacific Railway
Length 130 Feet Total, 24 Foot Main Span
Width 5 Tracks, 3 In Use
Height Above Ground 12 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Concrete Slab
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1916
Traffic Count 90 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
MILW Bridge Number A-315
Significance Local Significance
In 1873, the Milwaukee & Saint Paul Railroad completed a mainline between Milwaukee and Chicago, two key port cities.

The line became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & Saint Paul by 1874, which was vastly expanding its empire across the midwest. It had already reached into Iowa and Minnesota, along with extensive networks in Wisconsin and Illinois.

The line was double tracked in the late 1880s and early 1890s, and was part of the Milwaukee to Saint Paul mainline.

The CMStP reorganized into the Chicago, Milwaukee Saint Paul & Pacific in 1912, as it began expanding its empire towards Seattle.

This line saw some of the most stable traffic of the Milwaukee Road, which generated trains day and night.

When the Milwaukee Road fell out of buisness in 1985, it became part of the Soo Line, who eventually dissolved its Wisconsin lines. Most of the Soo Line went to Canadian Pacific, including this line. Canadian Pacific later sold lines off to Wisconsin Central. This line was not included.

Canadian Pacific is the current operator of this line, which sees nearly 110 trains per day, and is the main route from Chicago to Saint Paul with the Amtrack. It is known as the C&M Subdivision.
06/26/21


Crossing National Avenue south of downtown Milwaukee, this bridge is a standard concrete slab.
Built in 1916, the bridge consists of four spans built onto concrete piers. Spans like this are typical of early grade separation projects.
Overall, the bridge remains in good to fair condition.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the road it crosses.

Citations

Source Type

Source

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



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