UP 9th Street Bridge (Racine)

Located in Racine, this deck plate girder and steel stringer bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway mainline over 9th Street. It is unknown what previous bridges were at this location. It is believed that an iron girder and stone structure was constructed during a double tracking project in approximately 1892. In the early 20th Century, the C&NW invested significant capital into this line, replacing light iron bridges with new heavier steel bridges. In 1908, a major project revised the line through Racine, constructing a new bridge across the Root River and replacing bridges across 6th Street and 9th Street. Currently, the bridge consists of a 37-foot deck plate girder span, approached by a 14-foot steel stringer span on either end. The bridge is set onto a stone south abutment, a concrete north abutment and steel bent piers. Stone for the abutments consists of a white limestone, likely quarried at Duck Creek, Wisconsin. The superstructure uses a variation of standard designs used throughout the C&NW system. The center span consists of two heavy plate girders per track, while the approach spans consist of four steel stringers per track, arranged into two sets of two. Similar to many bridges from this era, a trough floor is used to carry the tracks. This specialty floor uses transverse channels, which are filled with asphalt cement and ballast. This style of floor became popular in the early 20th Century, particularly for grade separations, as it reduced noise and limited the possibility of falling debris. The substructures use a standard design, with the south abutment using stepped wing walls and the north abutment using sloped wing walls, both of which extend perpendicular to the track. The piers are constructed of three steel columns, connected by a plate girder and triangular bracing. These columns are set onto concrete footings. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure and steel bents, while unknown contractors constructed the substructure. Trough floor girder and stringer spans were popular in the early 20th Century, as they were durable, easy to construct and met requirements for grade separations. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen few alterations. While the bridge was constructed for two tracks, only the eastern track remains in service today. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.