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| Name | CPKC Piasa Creek Bridge Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge #33.6 |
| Built By | Chicago & Alton Railway |
| Currently Owned By | Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Encasement Contractor | Stresenreuter, Cotton & Company of Chicago, Illinois |
| Length | 183 Feet |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 60 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Concrete Encased Stone Arch |
| Substructure Design | Stone Masonry and Concrete |
| Date Built | 1881, Encased and Strengthened 1918 |
| Traffic Count | 2 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge Number | 33.6 |
| Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited Bridge Number | 33.6 |
| Significance | Moderate Significance |
| Documentation Date | 6/19/2016 |
In 1857, the Tonica & Petersburg Railroad (T&P) began construction on a new railroad line, extending from Bloomington, Illinois to Jacksonville, Illinois. At the north end of the route, the line connected to an existing railroad line, owned by the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago Railroad (StLA&C). At the same time, the Jacksonville, Alton & St. Louis Railroad (JA&StL) began construction on a railroad line extending from Jacksonville to Godfrey, Illinois, where it connected with the same line as at Bloomington. At the end of 1861, the T&P had constructed 28 miles from Petersburg to Jacksonville, and the JA&StL constructed 25 miles between Jacksonville and Whitehall. The two railroads were merged into the StLA&C in 1862, and work resumed the same year. The StLA&C was merged into the St. Louis, Jacksonville and Chicago Railroad (StLJ&C) in 1862. The remaining segments were completed in 1868 and 1866, respectively. Starting in 1868, the Chicago & Alton Railroad (C&A) leased and operated the property of the StLJ&C. The C&A was beginning to develop a moderate sized network of railroad lines throughout Illinois. This route served as a secondary line, running roughly parallel to the original mainline. It also provided opportunities for the construction of branch lines. An 8 mile cutoff between Godfrey and Wann was completed in 1881, providing a bypass around Alton. In 1899, the StLA&C was purchased by the C&A.
Throughout the years, the C&A would be affiliated with several
larger railroads, and the railroad primarily operated as a bridge
route. The C&A was reorganized in 1901, and until 1906 was owned by
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and the Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific Railway. This route continued to serve as a secondary line, feeding mainly the line to Kansas City. Between 1906 and 1907, an additional 35 miles of railroad was constructed between Iles (Springfield) and Murrayville, connecting the two parallel lines. In 1931, the C&A would be reorganized as the
Alton Railroad (A), a
subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The Alton was sold to
the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) in 1949, and the various
subsidiaries consolidated at that time. The section of line through Alton was abandoned in approximately 1960, except for short segments at either end. The GM&O merged with the
Illinois Central Railroad to form Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) in 1972. The section from Jacksonville to Bloomington would be abandoned in 1980. This line was excess for the ICG, and the route would be sold to the
Chicago, Missouri & Western Railway (CM&W) in 1987. The
CM&W was reorganized as the Gateway Western Railway in 1990, which
became a subsidiary of Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) in 1997. In
2023, the KCS was merged with Canadian Pacific Railway to form CPKC, the
current owner of this line. Today, the route is used as a secondary mainline by CPKC, with the Springfield Subdivision running from Ives to Roodhouse, the Godfrey Subdivision running from Roodhouse to Godfrey and the Jacksonville Subdivision running from Murrayville to Jacksonville.
View an article regarding the encasement of this bridge
Located south of the small town of Delhi, this large arch bridge crosses Piasa Creek along US Highway 67. The first bridge at this location was built during the initially construction of the line, and was likely a wooden pile trestle. In 1881, the bridge would be rebuilt with a large stone arch structure, consisting of five tall 40-foot stone arches, set onto narrow stone column piers. The distinct feature of the bridge was the slenderness of the structure, with the piers only being 8 feet wide. The bridge was constructed of limestone quarried in the area, and suffered extensive cracking after construction. The original deck of the bridge consisted of timber stringers, set upon the arches. In 1904, the original deck was replaced. as were the top two rows of stone. The piers were also strengthened at this time, with concrete buttresses added. Additional piles were driven to support these modifications.
By the late 1910s, deterioration of the stonework continued. To keep the structure in service and avoid replacing the bridge, the C&A decided to encase the entire structure in concrete. Stresenreuter, Cotton & Company was contracted to complete the work, which was designed by H.T. Douglas, Jr.; Chief Engineer of the C&A. Work to encase the structure began in the summer of 1918, and was completed by early 1919. The concrete encasement utilized heavy reinforcement, and was generally between 1 foot and 4 feet thick. Concrete encasements like this were common repair techniques used by railroads, as they were a cost effective way to strengthen failing stone bridges and culverts. Since the 1918 alterations, few other changes have been made to the bridge. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique history and repairs.
Citations
| Builder and build dates | Railway Track and Structures; Volume 15, Issue 7 |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |