UP Weeping Water Creek Bridge (West)

Weeping Water, Cass County, Nebraska

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Name	UP Weeping Water Creek Bridge (West) Missouri Pacific Railroad Bridge #457.3
Built By	Missouri Pacific Railroad
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	140 Feet Total, 70 Foot Spans
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1903
Traffic Count	1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Missouri Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	457.3
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	10/7/2019

In 1882, the Missouri Pacific Railway (MP) constructed a series of branch lines, extending west from Union, Nebraska. Lincoln, Nebraska was reached the same year. MP had amassed a large amount of railroad lines, primarily throughout Missouri and Kansas. The MP would be reorganized in 1909 and again 1917, becoming the Missouri Pacific Railroad. This line served as the primary connection to Lincoln for the MP, and was classified as a branch line. The MP was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad in 1982. A portion of the route from Weeping Water to Lincoln was abandoned in approximately 1985, and later converted to the Mopac Trail. Today, UP continues to operate the route between Union and Weeping Water as the Weeping Water Industrial Lead.

Located east of Weeping Water, this deck plate girder bridge is the western crossing of Weeping Water Creek. Built in 1903 to replace an older timber bridge, this bridge consists of a pair of 70-foot deck plate girder spans, fabricated by the American Bridge Company. The spans appear to be standard, and are set onto concrete substructures. This design of bridge was used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some deterioration of the concrete substructures noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

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