This three span deck girder crosses Carr Creek and County Road D on the north side of Woodville.
Built in 1912, the bridge features a trio of deck girder spans. The outer spans consist of standard sized spans, while the center span is approximately two feet shallower than the outer spans. In addition, the center span features an arrangement of four girders per track, likely related to the less deep design. The entire bridge sits on concrete substructures.
The rationale for building the center span shallower was to increase clearance underneath. At one time, a branch of the Omaha Road ran to Emerald, approximately 10 miles north. The route was abandoned in 1930, although the grade remained intact until the 1940s.
This bridge was built as the result of a large alignment change around Woodville. The initial routing had been constructed in 1871, and was upgraded in 1891. The new two mile double track cutoff was built 1912, and bypassed going through Woodville directly.
The 1912 upgrades were part of a series of improvements between St. Paul and Chicago, which included the construction of new alignments, revised grades and a second track the entire length.
Unfortunately, this bridge does not appear to be in good condition. Numerous steel components have section loss, and the substructures show age with massive cracks and spalls.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the road it crosses.