NS Nevada Road Bridge

Located along Illinois Route 48 southwest of Boody, this deck plate girder bridge carries the former Wabash Railroad across Nevada Road. The first bridge at this location was a timber trestle bridge, constructed when the line was initially built. Starting in the late 1890s, the Wabash began making significant upgrades to this line, replacing outdated timber trestles with steel bridges. In 1900, the original trestle would be replaced by a deck plate girder span as part of a project to replace three trestles in close proximity with standard girder spans. In the early 20th Century, the Wabash made additional upgrades to this line, double tracking the entirety of the line between Decatur and Taylorville between 1906 and 1907. As part of the double tracking project, the bridge would be extended westwards, giving the structure its current configuration. Currently, the bridge consists of a 42-foot deck plate girder span, set onto stone and concrete abutments. The superstructure uses a standard design, consisting of a shallow girder with light bracing, covered by a timber deck. The east portion of the abutments consists of stone, while the west portion consists of concrete. Detroit Bridge & Iron Company fabricated the east track superstructure, while the west track superstructure was fabricated by an unknown company. Unknown contractors completed the original abutments and extensions to the abutments. Stonework on the abutments consists of a brownish limestone, quarried at an unknown location. Deck plate girder spans were popular with railroads, as the design was durable and easy to construct. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen few changes. Concrete repairs have been made to the tops of the stonework, and the original deck appears to have been renewed. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with some deterioration noted on the concrete portion of the substructure. The superstructure appears to be well maintained, and has a mostly intact coat of paint. Today, only the western track of the bridge remains in use. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.