CPKC Richland Creek Bridge #2

Located southwest of Richland, this bridge is the second bridge carrying a former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) mainline over Richland Creek. The first bridge at this location was a timber pile trestle bridge, constructed when the line was first built. In the late 1900s and early 1910s, the Milwaukee Road invested significant capital into this line, replacing timber bridges with new concrete and steel structures. In 1909, the bridge was reconstructed with a secondhand deck plate girder span, approached by two 16-foot concrete slab spans on either end. The entire bridge was set onto concrete substructures. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Milwaukee Road again upgraded bridges along this line, replacing aging concrete and steel bridges with new spans. In approximately 1940, the approach was reconstructed with timber stringer spans, reusing the original concrete substructures. Currently, the bridge consists of a 60-foot twinned deck plate girder span, approached by two 16-foot timber stringer spans on either end. The entire bridge is set onto concrete substructures. The main span was originally fabricated in 1894 for use at Bridge #L-260, a three span bridge which carried the Milwaukee Road across the Cannon River near Hastings, Minnesota. In late 1908, that bridge was replaced by a double track structure, and the three spans were released for reuse. One span was reused at Bridge #Q-190 near Lanesboro, Minnesota. The other two spans were combined into a single span and reused at this location. Lassig Bridge & Iron Works fabricated the main span, while it is believed that railroad company forces rebuilt the main span at the bridge shop in Tomah, Wisconsin. The concrete substructures were constructed by labor employed by the Milwaukee Road Bridge & Building Department, and it is believed that the timber replacements were installed by the same forces.

The main span follows a heavily modified design, consisting of four girders arranged into two sets of two and covered by a timber ballast deck. Many railroads "twinned" girder spans, as it provided a cost effective way to install bridge spans for required loading without requiring large amounts of new material. The approach spans follow a standard Milwaukee Road design for the era, with several timber stringers covered by a ballast deck. The piers consist of rectangular structures of varying widths, while the abutments use a standard U-shaped design. During the first half of the 20th Century, the Milwaukee Road performed much of its bridgework in-house, as the railroad found this arrangement to be cost effective compared to using a contractor. Steel bridges were mainly repaired and rebuilt at a sprawling facility in Tomah, Wisconsin; while railroad company forces constructed concrete substructures, bridges and culverts. Today, the Tomah facility has mostly been removed; although the yard remains used by CPKC to store numerous steel bridge spans. Concrete slab spans were the prefered concrete bridge design of the Milwaukee Road starting in 1912, as they were cost effective and easy to construct. Some other designs were experimented with, including concrete girders. Since the c. 1940 reconstruction, the bridge has seen few alterations and today remains in regular use. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the reuse of an 1890s-era span for mainline use.