Connector Trail - La Crosse River Bridge

Located west of Medary, this through plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway branch line over the La Crosse River alongside the former Milwaukee Road mainline. The first bridge at this location consisted of a timber pony truss span, set onto stone piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans. In 1898, the bridge was upgraded, and a secondhand iron double intersection Warren pony truss span installed. By the early 1900s, the C&NW was investing significant capital into upgrading lines, replacing lighter bridges with new steel and concrete structures. In the fall of 1909, work began on constructing the concrete abutments of the present bridge; and the steel girder span was placed in early 1910. Currently, the bridge consists of a 70-foot through plate girder span, approached by a 66-foot and a 56-foot through plate girder span, and set onto concrete substructures. To account for the angle of the river, the bridge was designed at a skew, with the approach spans each using a 56-foot and a 66-foot face. The superstructure uses a standard design, with heavy girders and a floor composed of four stringers. Square girder ends are used for the ends of the approach spans, while a rounded and tapered end is used for the main span. The substructures also use a standard design, with short wing walls and rectangular piers. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure at their Lassig plant, while the Bates & Rogers Construction Company constructed the substructure. Through plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Currently, the bridge is used as part of a connector trail, which connects the City of La Crosse trail system to the La Crosse River State Trail. When the bridge was converted to trail use, a wooden deck and handrails were added to the structure. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted to the superstructure. Some spalling has developed on the concrete substructure. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.