Because the line was long and out of the way for passengers and freight moving west, Union Pacific sought to build a new cutoff to bypass this route. In 1905, construction began on this new line, extending from a point near present day I-80/I-480 to Lane, a point near Center Road and Industrial Road.
When the new line was opened, this older line became downgraded to a secondary line. Although Union Pacific retained ownership of the line, eventually segments would be abandoned.
The first abandonment from 25th Street in Bellevue to Papillion occurred in 1989. In 1994, the line was abandoned another two miles to the west to Giles and Portal Road.
In 2008, another significant abandonment cut the line back to L Street in Millard, its current terminus on the west. From Q Street to Giles Road has since become part of the West Papio Trail, while the rest of the line to Bellevue has been heavily altered and is gone in most places.
Today, all that remains is the line from Omaha to Bellevue, now part of the Falls City Subdivision. In addition, a short spur to 25th Street in Bellevue remains, serving an industry. On the west end, the remaining portion currently serves a railcar repair facility, and is known as the Millard Industral Lead.
06/26/21
Located near US-75 in Bellevue, this through girder bridge is part of the original mainline around Omaha.
When the new line parallel to I-80 was built, this line was downgraded to branch service. There is another nearly identical bridge approximately one half mile north.
The current bridge here is a standard double track through girder span, set onto stone abutments. This type of span was very common along the line through Omaha. Currently, only one track is in use.
Currently, this line ends at an industry near 25th Street. That customer is the last along this route, and if it should stop receiving shipment by rail, this line is likely to be abandoned.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no significant deterioration noted.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.