BNSF Kill Creek Bridge (North)

Name	BNSF Kill Creek Bridge (North) Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge #10.8
Built By	Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	185 Feet Total, 106 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder and Concrete Modular Girder
Substructure Design	Steel Pile
Date Built	1907, Approaches Reconstructed 1998
Traffic Count	5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Bridge Number	10A
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	10.8
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	1/27/2017

In 1865, the St. Louis, Lawrence and Denver Railroad (StLL&D) completed a 17 mile railroad, extending from Lawrence, Kansas to DeSoto, Kansas. In 1869, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad (ATSF) constructed 27 miles from Topeka, Kansas to Burlingame, Kansas; and the following year, an additional 34 miles to Emporia were completed. In 1871, the Lawrence and Topeka Railway (L&T) completed an additional 22 miles from Lawrence to Topeka, Kansas. In 1874, the StLL&D was reorganized as the St. Louis, Lawrence & Western Railroad (StLL&W). In 1875, both railroads were conveyed to the Kansas City, Topeka & Western Railroad (KCT&W). The same year, the KCT&W completed an additional 23 miles between DeSoto and the Kansas City Union Station. The KCT&W would be leased by the ATSF in 1880. The ATSF changed its name to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) in 1895, and the KCT&W was consolidated into the ATSF in 1899. The ATSF had acquired and constructed a large number of railroad lines throughout the western United States, particularly in Kansas and Oklahoma. This line served as one of two mainlines connecting Kansas City to Emporia. The ATSF would merge with Burlington Northern Railroad in 1996 to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. The Holliday to Topeka to Emporia segment of this line is operated as the Topeka Subdivision.

Located in De Soto, this through girder bridge is the northern of two parallel bridges over Kill Creek. Originally built in 1907, the bridge featured a 106-foot "Class C" through plate girder span, set onto concrete abutments. To double track this bottleneck, a second parallel bridge was added in 1942. In 1998, concrete modular girder spans were added to each end of the girder, and new steel pile piers constructed. The through girder span is exceptionally long for the date constructed, and is one of several similar "Class C" spans constructed throughout the ATSF system. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Builder and build date	American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

BNSF Kill Creek Bridge (North)

De Soto, Johnson County, Kansas