Logan Railroad Crossing

Located between Logan and Woodbine, this through and deck plate girder bridge carries a former Illinois Central Railroad mainline over a Union Pacific Railroad (former Chicago & North Western Railway) mainline and Perry Trail. When the IC first built the extension to Omaha, it needed to cross the C&NW mainline near Logan and again at Loveland. As part of the work, large fills were required on the approaches to both crossings. The first bridge at this location consisted of a heavily skewed 130-foot, 6-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss span, approached by a 62-foot and a 45-foot deck plate girder span on the north end. The entire bridge was set onto stone substructures, and it is believed that a steel bent pier was used between the two deck girder spans. Similar to all bridges along this line, the steel superstructure was fabricated by the American Bridge Works. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, another round of upgrades was made to bridges along this line. The deck girder spans were replaced by two new spans and a concrete pier in 1948. It is unclear if the original spans were reused elsewhere, potentially along this line. On November 12, 1979; a severe derailment completely destroyed the original truss span. In response, a modern through plate girder span was installed, giving the bridge its present configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of a 130-foot through plate girder span, approached by a 62-foot and a 45-foot deck plate girder span on the north end. The entire bridge is set at a heavy skew. The abutments and south pier are constructed of stone, while the north pier is constructed of concrete. The main span follows a standard design for the late 20th Century, with welded and bolted connections, heavy plate girders and square girder ends. The approach spans also use a modified design, consisting of two heavy plate girders and an open deck. In addition, the bottom of the center girder at the south pier is tapered to meet the height of the pier. The abutments use a standard design, with stepped wing walls extending parallel to the railroad and road underneath. Both piers use a standard rectangular design, with concrete riser blocks. Stone for the substructures consists of a tan limestone, quarried at an unknown location. American Bridge Company fabricated the deck girder spans, while an unknown contractor fabricated the south span. J.S. Patterson Construction Company constructed the abutments and south pier, while it is unclear if the north pier was constructed by an unknown contractor or railroad company forces. Girder spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. Since the 1979 reconstruction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations, and remains in regular use. 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.