CN Indian Creek Bridge (Council Bluffs)

Located immediately east of 13th Street in Council Bluffs, this through plate girder bridge carries a former Illinois Central Railroad mainline over Indian Creek at Creek Top. Since Council Bluffs was first settled, Indian Creek had been known for disastrous floods due to its narrow valley and small tributary area. When the IC constructed an extension into Council Bluffs, a new bridge was required at this location. In late 1898, contracts were awarded for the bridge, with constructing beginning the following year. The steel span was placed at the end of 1899. Currently, the bridge consists of a 50-foot through plate girder span, set onto concrete abutments. The bridge was constructed for two tracks, with a 13-foot sidewalk and an 18-foot roadway on the west side. It is unclear if these sections were built for railroad use and later converted to other uses, or if they were initially built for roadway and sidewalk use. The main span follows a standard design, with modest sized girders and rounded girder ends. The floor systems use slightly different designs, with the railroad sections using a floor constructed of parallel I-beams and a sheet metal plate under the rails. The roadway and sidewalk sections were constructed using a more standard design, with floorbeams placed throughout the span and a timber deck. The abutments use a standard rectangular shape, which is located behind the channel walls. American Bridge Works fabricated the superstructure, while C.E.H. Campbell constructed the abutments and erected the bridge. Through plate girder spans were popular for railroad use, due to the durability and ease of construction. Unusual floor systems as seen on this bridge were most commonly used for grade separations and other structures with limited vertical clearance underneath. The design first became popular in the late 1890s during track elevation projects in Chicago. In 1936, Indian Creek was channelized and covered by a concrete slab. To construct the channel, new concrete walls were constructed and the space between the walls and abutments filled. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen few alterations. Today, one track is in use, while the east track and roadway/sidewalk sections are not in use. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.