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| Name | CPKC Kinser Creek Viaduct West Foster Viaduct |
| Built By | Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited |
| Superstructure Contractor | American Bridge Company of New York |
| Substructure Contractor | M.M. Moen Company of Mason City, Iowa Stark Construction Company of Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Length | 574 Feet Total, 63 Foot Largest Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 50 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Concrete and Steel Tower |
| Date Built | 1936 |
| Traffic Count | 10 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Bridge Number | I-470 |
| Significance | Moderate Significance |
| Documentation Date | 10/8/2017 |
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 south of Albia, this large deck plate girder viaduct is the western of three similar structures in the area and carries a former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) mainline over Soap Creek. One of the major hurdles with constructing this line was the need to cross the valleys of Little Soap Creek, a href="https://johnmarvigbridges.org/new/bridge.php?id=1577">Soap Creek and The superstructure follows a standard design for the era, with two heavy plate girders per span and a ballast deck. The ballast deck is composed of creosoted timber planks, and includes wooden handrails on either side. Typical of viaducts from this era, the tower spans use the same depth as the main spans to improve the loading configuration. The outermost spans are slightly shallower due to the shorter length. The towers are constructed using two A-frame bents, connected by extensive lateral, longitudinal and transverse bracing. All portions of the towers are constructed from heavy I-beams. The pedestals are generally square in shape, while the outer piers use a rectangular design. Both abutments follow a standard design for the era, with short sloped wing walls. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure and all towers, and highlighted this bridge in promotional materials as an advancement in accelerated bridge construction. Both M.M. Moen Company and Stark Construction Company were awarded contracts for the two viaduct projects, and it is unclear if both firms worked on this bridge. The Milwaukee Road often constructed concrete bridges with company forces. The use of contractors for the substructure of this bridge represents a notable shift in the railroads philosophy towards concrete bridge construction. Deck plate girder spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. Deck plate girder viaducts were the most economical option for long and tall bridges, as they were simple and easy to erect. Due to the flat terrain in Iowa, there are relatively few deck plate girder viaducts in the state, with most located near the Des Moines River in central Iowa. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations. Today, the bridge remains in regular use as part of a CPKC mainline. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition and is well maintained, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the size of the structure.
Citations
| Build date and builder (superstructure) | American Bridge Company plaque |
| Builders (substructure) | Railway Age; Volume 101, Issue 8 |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |