logo

La Porte City Trail Bridge

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Wolf Creek
La Porte City, Black Hawk County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name La Porte City Trail Bridge
Built By Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern Railway
Contractor Gould Construction Company of Davenport, Iowa
Engineer Thomas Edsall Rust
Currently Owned By Black Hawk County
Length 280 Feet Total, 55 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder and Trestle
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Built Ca. 1914
Date Removed Spring 2020
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been replaced)
Current Status Replaced by a new bridge
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date December 2019


Once located in La Porte City, this deck girder span was closed to pedestrian traffic for many years before being replaced.
The original bridge was built in 1914, but the bridge later consisted of a single deck girder span, set on timber substructures. It was also approached by trestle spans. It is believed that the deck girder span was added in the 1960s.
It is unknown if the main span of the bridge was built here or at another location. Unfortunately, the piers had begun to fail, leading to the closure of the bridge for several years.
At the end of the life, the bridge was in poor condition. It was replaced by a concrete span in 2020.

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

Citations

Source Type

Source

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