- 1857: 44 miles completed from Clinton to Wheatland, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1858: 20 miles completed from Wheatland to Lisbon, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1859: 17 miles completed from Lisbon to Cedar Rapids, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1861: 41 miles completed from Cedar Rapids to Belle Plaine, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1861: 41 miles completed from Cedar Rapids to Chelsea, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1862: 29 miles completed from Chelsea to Marshalltown, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1864: 29 miles completed from Marshalltown to Nevada, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1865: 29 miles completed from Nevada to Boone, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1867: 150 miles completed from Boone to Council Bluffs, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1867: 6 miles completed from Missouri Valley to California Junction, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1884: CI&N and CR&MR officially acquired by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1887: 6 miles completed from Beverly to Otis, Iowa bypassing Cedar Rapids by the Linn County Railway
- 1887: Linn County Railway acquired by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1891-98: Second track constructed between Clinton and Cedar River
- 1898-1900: Second track constructed between Cedar River and Mashalltown
- 1898-1901: New alignment completed between Boone and Ogden, Iowa; including the Des Moines River Bridge
- 1900-02: Second track constructed between Marshalltown and Council Bluffs
- 1933: Old route via Moingona between Boone and Ogden abandoned
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Clinton Subdivision between Clinton and Boone
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Boone Subdivision between Boone and Missouri Valley
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Omaha Subdivision between Missouri Valley and Council Bluffs
11/12/21
View an article regarding the construction of this bridge.
This bridge is the middle crossing of the Mississippi River at Clinton.
Comprised of a single Parker Through Truss, eight Quadrangular Through Trusses and a deck girder, this is the largest of the three bridges crossing the Mississippi River at this location.
The nine truss spans contain riveted connections, and rest on stone substructures. The entire bridge was constructed by the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of Milwaukee.
Of these nine spans, the main Parker Through Truss span contains seven panels.
Blueprints of the bridge, from Railroad Gazette: Volume 48 Issue 2
In addition to the current bridge, the old substructures for the old bridge still exist along the north side of the bridge. In addition, the old highway bridge substructures remain to the south.
Due to the impending construction of the new railroad crossing, all major maintenance has ceased on this bridge. The new bridge will sit approximately 100 feet to the south of the existing bridge. Construction will begin in 2021, and end in 2025.
When the new crossing is complete, this bridge; as well as the other two bridges will be removed, ending one of the most unique crossings of the Mississippi River.
Historic photo of the bridge alongside the previous bridge. Photo courtesy of PhotoLibrarian on Flickr.
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the large scale truss design and age.
The photo above is an overview from the east end. The photo below is portal bracing on Span #9.
Upstream | Sabula Rail Bridge |
East | Sunfish Slough Bridge |
West | Clinton Rail Bridge |
Downstream | Government (Arsenal) Bridge |