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Garfield Street Trail Bridge

Steel Stringer Bridge over Garfield Street
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Garfield Street Trail Bridge
Built By Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By City of Lincoln
Length 52 Feet Total, 26 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 9 Feet 8 Inches
Superstructure Type Steel Stringer
Substructure Type Concrete and Steel Pile
Date Built 1909
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date October 2019


Located near Antelope Park at the intersection of Garfield Street and Memorial Drive, this small stringer bridge crosses Garfield Street.
Built in 1909, the bridge consists of two steel stringer spans, set onto concrete abutments and a steel pier. This simple design was typically used to construct cheap bridges, particularly for grade separations.
After the Rock Island was abandoned, this route was turned into the Rock Island Trail, one of several similarly named trails along former RI routes. Unfortunately, numerous RI bridges have been removed in Lincoln since the abandonment of the RI, including two girder bridges over Antelope Creek.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. While no significant deterioration was noted on the bridge, sandblasting and repainting it would certainly make it more attractive.

The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Date stamp
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele