CIC Clear Creek Bridge (Old)

Name	CIC Clear Creek Bridge (Old)
Built By	Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway
Currently Owned By	Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	100 Feet Total
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	c. 1940, Using a Span Fabricated c. 1903
Date Replaced	2013
Original Location	Unknown
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been Replaced)
Current Status	Replaced by a new bridge
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	8/10/2013

In the late 19th Century, electric interurban railways became popular throughout the United States, particularly in suburban and rural areas. In rural areas, the interurban represented a reliable form of transportation, independent of the steam railroads. In 1903, the Dows & Smith Electrified Interurban Railway (D&SEIR) began an electrified interurban line between Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Iowa City, Iowa. The company was reorganized as the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Southwestern at some point in 1903. By early 1904, the company was reorganized as the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway (CIC), which completed the 27-mile electrified line that year. The CIC was owned by the Iowa Railway & Light Company, a common practice at the time. While the railroad was popular with passangers, it also quickly expanded freight business by interchanging with various steam railroads at both Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. The railroad was also well placed, serving student traffic attending the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

In 1914, the railroad began seeking an expansion to Davenport, Iowa; where it could connect with other interurban lines and freight railroads. A short 17-mile line was constructed that year, reaching Lisbon, Iowa from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Due to a low volume of business, the line was abandoned in 1928. While other railroads were struggling to maintain passenger service by the 1930s, the CIC maintained a solid passenger base into the 1950s. Passenger operations were discontinued in 1953, and the railroad was converted to diesel power to streamline freight operations. By the early 1980s, the CIC was a successful short line railroad, and purchased abandoned branches of both the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road). Today, CIC continues to see strong revenue and operates the entire Cedar Rapids to Iowa City line to serve freight traffic.

Located near 1st Avenue in Coralville, this through plate girder bridge once carried the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway line over Clear Creek. The first bridge at this location is believed to have been a timber pile trestle, constructed in 1903 when the line was first built. Newspaper articles report that "piling was snapped" during an ice jam in 1916, and the bridge was rebuilt later that year. Aerial photos indicate that there was a shorter bridge at this location in 1937, and the present structure was in place by 1951. It is believed that the bridge was constructed in approximately 1940, using a secondhand span fabricated in approximately 1903. It is unclear if this span was fabricated for use on the CIC line, or if it was purchased from another company. The bridge consisted of a large 100-foot skewed through plate girder span, set onto concrete abutments. The superstructure used a somewhat unusual design, consisting of two heavy plate girders connected by numerous transverse floorbeams. A concrete ballast deck was placed on top of the transverse beams. Both abutments used a standard U-shaped design, with rounded faces. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, while the substructure was constructed by an unknown company. Through plate girder spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. While the CIC was a small railroad, this company occasionally installed secondhand spans to save costs. It is unclear if these spans were originally used on the CIC lines, or if they were purchased from larger railroads. In 2013, the bridge was replaced by a taller bridge as part of a flood control project. At the time of removal, the bridge appeared to be in fair condition, although significant spalling was visible on the abutments. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Builder (superstructure)	Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

CIC Clear Creek Bridge (Old)

Coralville, Johnson County, Iowa