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| Name | MILW Prairie Creek Bridge Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Bridge #I-64 |
| Built By | Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway |
| Currently Owned By | City of Cedar Rapids |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Substructure Builder | Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company Forces |
| Length | 240 Feet Total, 67 Foot Main Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Through Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle |
| Substructure Design | Concrete and Timber Pile |
| Date Built | 1902 |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned) |
| Current Status | Abandoned |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Bridge Number | I-64 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 2/26/2017 |
In 1882, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee
Road) began construction on a new railroad line, extending from Cedar
Rapids, Iowa to Ottumwa, Iowa. The 40-mile line would be completed in
1884. By 1885, work was authorized to begin towards Kansas City,
Missouri; a critical railroad hub in the Midwest. The extension opened
in 1887, giving the Milwaukee Road a direct route between Chicago and
Kansas City. The Milwaukee Road acquired and constructed a large amount
of track throughout the Midwest during the 1870s and 1880s. At the
Cedar Rapids suburb of Marion, the route connected to the Milwaukee Road
mainline across Iowa. By the early 1900s, a direct connection to the
Mississippi River town of Davenport was desired, and in 1901, the
Rutledge Cutoff was completed. The cutoff extended from Rutledge, Iowa
to Muscatine, Iowa, and allowed for a quicker way to access the
Milwaukee Road facilities at Davenport, as well as shortened the travel
time and distance from Chicago to Kansas City. Between Davenport and
Muscatine, the railroad jointly owned a line with the Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific Railroad (Rock Island).
The Milwaukee Road operated this route as a principal mainline, and the line served as a primary connection between the two largest railroad hubs in the United States. The Milwaukee Road was often in financial trouble, especially after the costly Pacific Extension was completed in 1909. In 1925, the company declared bankruptcy, and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. Significant upgrades were made to the line in the 1930s and 1940s, although the line remained single tracked. In 1930-1931, the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island reconstructed their lines from Polo, Missouri to Kansas City, abandoning much of the original line. A new bridge into Kansas City was completed in 1945, further improving operations. In 1980, the Rock Island went bankrupt, and the Milwaukee Road purchased the Davenport to Washington, Iowa line; abandoning their own line between Washington and Muscatine. By 1985, a suitor for the Milwaukee Road was being sought, and the Soo Line Railroad, controlled by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) purchased the Milwaukee Road in 1986. In 1997, CP sold this line to I&M Rail Link, which later sold it to Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad (IC&E), a subsidiary of Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E). In 2008, DM&E and IC&E were purchased by CP. CP merged with Kansas City Southern Railway in 2023 to form CPKC, the current owner of this route. The CPKC operates the Ottumwa Subdivision between Davenport and Ottumwa, the Laredo Subdivision between Ottumwa and Laredo, Missouri; as well as the Kansas City Subdivision between Laredo and Kansas City. The route between Polo and Kansas City is shared with Union Pacific Railroad, which eventually acquired the former Rock Island line. This route now forms the principal mainline of the CPKC system, and traffic is expected to increase significantly over the coming years.
Located on the south side of Cedar Rapids, this through plate girder bridge carries a former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) secondary line over Prairie Creek. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle or a wooden truss bridge, constructed when the line was first built. During the early 20th Century, the Milwaukee Road invested significant capital throughout the system, replacing timber bridges with steel and concrete structures. The present bridge was constructed in 1902. Currently, the bridge consists of two 67-foot type "C4" through plate girder spans, approached by several timber pile trestle spans on the south end. The steel spans are set onto a concrete abutment and concrete piers, while the approach spans are set onto timber pile substructures. The main spans follow a standard design, with two heavy plate girders, square girder ends and a standard floor system. Type "C4" girder spans were a standard Milwaukee Road design, and differed from type "C3" spans in the use of two heavier stringers instead of the four lighter stringers seen on "C3" spans. The piers both use a standard rectangular design with angled upstream noses, while the north abutment contains sloped wing walls. An unknown contractor fabricated the main span, while the concrete substructures were likely constructed by railroad company forces. Through plate girder spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. During the early 20th Century, the Milwaukee Road used company labor almost exclusively to construct concrete bridges and culverts, as the company found this arrangement to be more cost effective than constructing masonry by contract. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations. Today, the bridge is abandoned and it is unlikely that it will ever be reused for railroad or pedestrians. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some spalling noted throughout the piers and north abutment. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build date | Milwaukee Road Drawing Collection, located at the Milwaukee Road Archives at the Milwaukee Public Library |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |