- 1867: 50 miles completed from California Junction to Sloan, Iowa by the Sioux City & Pacific Railway
- 1868: 20 miles completed from Sloan to Sioux City, Iowa by the Sioux City & Pacific Railway
- 1901: SC&P purchased by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-present: Union Pacific operates the Sioux City Subdivision between California Junction and Sioux City
04/03/22
Located along I-29 in Sioux City, this deck girder bridge crosses South Ravine, a small creek.
Although the bridge has a plaque, little is known about the history of this structure. The plaque is heavily corroded and only the first three digits of the date can be made out. It is possible the plaque gives a date of 1895.
In addition, the girder features a twinned design, with extra girders added for strength. It is unknown if the original span was rebuilt at this location, or if the entire main span was relocated from other location(s).
Currently, the bridge consists of a single deck plate girder span, set onto timber substructures. It is approached by trestle spans on either side.
Spans like this were common to replace trestles, due to the ease of construction. The timber substructures imply that this bridge may have been moved here, a technique common for reducing costs.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no significant deterioration.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.