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UP Eau Claire River Bridge

Deck Truss Bridge over Eau Claire River Bridge
Altoona, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name UP Eau Claire River Bridge
Built By Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
Contractor Lassig Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago
Currently Owned By Union Pacific Railroad
Length 474 Feet Total, 157 Foot Main Spans
Width 1 Track (Formerly Gauntlet)
Height Above Ground 30 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Double Intersection Warren Deck Truss and Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built 1898
Traffic Count 15 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
UP Bridge Number 89.00
Significance Moderate Significance
A brief history of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Elroy-St. Paul mainline:


06/26/21


This bridge was built 1898 replacing an old iron bridge. It had a similar design. The bridge before that was a wooden bridge.
The bridge contains two double intersection warren deck truss spans at 157'2" each. In addition, it has two deck plate girders at 80' each, one on each end.
The bridge was built gauntlet in 1901, meaning two tracks ran over the bridge in the space of one track. This gauntlet was removed in 1991.
In the 90 years that the bridge gauntlet, plans had been brought up in 1916 to build a second parallel bridge, but it was later deemed far too expensive.
The bridge has continued to serve faithfully since its build in 1898.

The author has ranked the bridge as moderately significant, due to the design and gauntlet designation, as well as the age.
The photo above is looking from the east bank.

Eau Claire River Railroad Bridges
Upstream Headwaters
Downstream Soo Line "S" Bridge

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Chicago & North Western Railway Historical Society
Contractor Lassig Bridge & Iron Works plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele



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