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DM&E Mad Creek Bridge

Deck Girder Bridge over Mad Creek
Muscatine, Muscatine County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name DM&E Mad Creek Bridge
Built By Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Built By Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway
Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Currently Owned By Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
Length 115 Feet Total, 40 Foot Spans
Width 2 Tracks, 1 In Use
Height Above Ground 5 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1901, Raised at Unknown Date
Traffic Count 8 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
RI Bridge Number 2098
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date March 2017


This standard deck girder bridge crosses over Mad Creek in Muscatine.
Mad Creek gets its name from the ravaging floods which occur along its route. This bridge was built in response to one of those floods.
Likely replacing a truss, the present bridge was built in 1901, and later raised between 1977 and 1983. The three main spans rest on concrete substructures.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. However, the real issue with this structure likely lies below the water, where the piers could be scoured from constant current.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from a nearby park.

Citations

Source Type

Source

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