- 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
06/26/21
Along the former Chicago & North Western mainlines, there are numerous road bridges utilizing former railroad bridge parts. This structure is no different.
Built in 1900, the bridge has served traffic crossing Yates Avenue for quite some time. The bridge features a pretty basic double intersection Warren Pony Truss, which has been converted to road use.
From a basic inspection, one can assume that the bridge was extensively rebuilt for road use. Improvements likely included the removal of the original railroad deck and many structural steel components.
One of these improvements was the construction of outriggers, to strengthen the deck. As a result, while the existing truss was built in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; the improvements were made using Illinois Steel Company steel.
As for the original location and build date of the bridge, it is likely that the truss dates to the 1880s. However, the original location of the bridge has not yet been determined.
It is possible that it could have originally been located somewhere close by, such as a crossing of Linn Creek. However, other similar crossings have shown that the spans could have come from anywhere.
The bridge overall contains the truss, which features riveted connections. In addition, the bridge is approached by trestle spans and rests on wooden piers.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique design and interesting history.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the road which it carries.