Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #33

Located west of Atwood Road near Roscoe, this small stone arch culvert carries a former Chicago & North Western Railway line over an unnamed ditch. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle, constructed when the line was first built. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, the G&CU made significant improvements to their lines, replacing timber bridges with stone structures and earth fill. In 1863, the original trestle was replaced by the present structure. Currently, the structure consists of a 6-foot stone arch culvert, set onto stone substructures and constructed at a width of 58 feet. The culvert uses a standard design, with a semicircular arch, stepped wing walls and a dirt floor. Typical of early stone culverts along this line, the arch ring is constructed of cut stone, while the remainder of the structure is constructed of rubble masonry. Stone for the culvert was quarried at an unknown location, and appears to be a yellow limestone. It is unclear if the culvert was constructed by railroad company forces or by an unknown contractor. The G&CU prided itself on using skilled labor employed by the company wherever possible to construct bridges and culverts, as it found this practice more cost effective. Stone arches were used extensively by railroads in the 19th Century, as they were durable and easy to construct. Since the initial construction, the culvert has seen no significant alterations, and is now used as part of the Stone Bridge Trail. Overall, the culvert appears to be in fair to good condition, with minor weathering to the stone noted. The author has ranked the culvert as locally significant, due to the small size and common design.