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BNSF Foot Creek Bridge (North)

Through Plate Girder Bridge over Foot Creek
Aberdeen, Brown County, South Dakota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name BNSF Foot Creek Bridge (North)
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Contractor Pennsylvania Steel Company of Steelton, Penn
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Length 90 Feet Total, 45 Foot Main Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 5 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Through Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1907
Traffic Count 4 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
MILW Bridge Number P-302
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date March 2019


Located in Aberdeen between 133rd Street and US-12, this through girder bridge is the northern crossing of Foot Creek in Aberdeen.
Built in 1907, the bridge features a pair of through girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. This type of structure is commonly used to cross small to medium sized creeks.
Some alterations appear to have been made to the bridge since it was constructed. The most significant alteration is the replacement of the original floor and stringers with new high strength steel. It appears this may have occurred in the Burlington Northern or BNSF days.
This type of bridge appears to be a standardized design for the Milwaukee Road. It is unknown how many other bridges Pennsylvania Steel built for the Milwaukee Road, particularly along the Pacific Extension. A quick search shows this is the only such bridge like this on Bridgehunter.com tagged with the Pennsylvania Steel Co category.
It is also possible that this bridge was built using leftover parts meant for the Pacific Extension. Several bridges are known to have been built with new steel that was originally meant for a canceled structure in Montana, Idaho or Washington.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some spalling and cracking of the substructures noted.

The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview, looking west. Unfortunately, melting ice made good photos of this bridge difficult, as the author fell in the creek twice.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Pennsylvania Steel Company plaque
Contractor Pennsylvania Steel Company plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele