Along the former Chicago & North Western mainlines, there are numerous road bridges utilizing former railroad bridge parts. This structure is no different.
Built sometime after 1918, the bridge has served traffic on Webster Street for quite some time. The bridge features a pretty basic double intersection Warren Pony Truss, which has been converted to road use. Unlike many of the similar trusses, this bridge has laced members.
From a basic inspection, one can assume that the bridge was extensively rebuilt for road use. Improvements likely included the removal of the original railroad deck and many structural steel components. Empty rivet holes and hacked off members can be seen.
One of these improvements was the construction of outriggers, to strengthen the deck. In addition, blocks with bolts through it, which can be described as tension blocks, hold the truss lines to a rebuilt floor. The floor is built out of metal floor beams and wooden stringers. None of this floor is original to the truss.
As for the original location and build date of the bridge, it is likely that the truss dates to the 1880s. However, the original location of the bridge has not yet been determined.
It is possible that it could have originally been located somewhere close by, such as a crossing of Linn Creek. However, other similar crossings have shown that the spans could have come from anywhere.
The bridge overall contains the truss, which features riveted connections. In addition, the bridge is approached by trestle spans and rests on wooden piers, which sit on concrete blocks.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique design and interesting history. The road has been closed for quite some time, since at least 2014, due to deterioration throughout the timber components of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the road which it carries.