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UP 580th Avenue Bridge (Plymouth)

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over 580th Avenue
Plymouth, Jefferson County, Nebraska

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name UP 580th Avenue Bridge (Plymouth)
Built By Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Contractor Lassig Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago
Currently Owned By Union Pacific Railroad
Length 45 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built Ca. 1900
Traffic Count 1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
UP Bridge Number 19.50
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date October 2019


Located north of Plymouth near the intersection of 725th Road, this simple deck girder bridge crosses 580th Avenue.
Built in approximately 1900, the bridge is like many others between Lincoln and Jansen. All of these spans have plaques indicating Lassig Bridge & Iron Works of Chicago fabricated the spans.
However, when Lassig was purchased by American Bridge Company in 1900, American Bridge kept the Chicago factory open and continued using the same design of plaques through 1902. It is unknown if Lassig or American Bridge actually built this bridge for this reason.
Several bridges in Gage County have plaques that read Lassig, although the one bridge with a plaque remaining between DeWitt and Jansen gives a 1901 date and American Bridge Company.
Regardless, this bridge is a different size and slightly different design than the span that does have a plaque. For this reason, the author is assuming that Lassig built this span.
The bridge itself is a single span deck plate girder, set onto large concrete abutments. The bridge is heavily graffitied, and the abutments look like they have been rehabilitated with new concrete.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no serious deterioration noted.

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 based on similar bridges
Contractor Missing Lassig Bridge & Iron Works plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele