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| Name | BNSF Leaf River Bridge |
| Built By | Northern Pacific Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | American Bridge Company of New York |
| Length | 143 Feet Total, 70 Foot Spans |
| Width | 2 Tracks |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Type | Deck plate girder |
| Substructure Type | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1906 |
| Traffic Count | 50 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | Open to Traffic |
| Northern Pacific Railway Bridge Number | 170 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 170.0 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 7/24/2016 |
In 1871, the Northern Pacific Railroad (NP) continued building west from Staples, Minnesota; reaching Moorhead by the end of the year. The line extended to Duluth on the east. The line would be extended west to Bismarck, North Dakota by 1882. In 1877, the St. Paul & Northern Pacific Railway (StP&NP) would purchase and complete the partially built Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad line between Sauk Rapids and Brainerd, a distance of 61 miles. At Brainerd, the line connected to the NP line. Between 1883 and 1884, the StP&NP would complete an additional 66 miles from Northtown Junction in Minneapolis to Sauk Rapids. A 33 mile connection between Little Falls and Staples would be completed by the StP&NP in 1889. In 1896, the NP and StP&NP were sold and reorganized as the Northern Pacific Railway (NP).
NP operated the Minneapolis to Moorhead segment of this line as their mainline between the Twin Cities and the Pacific Coast. As a result, significant reconstruction was done to the original route. The route was double tracked between 1902 and 1910, including a large reconstruction of the route between Hawley and Dilworth. In 1970, NP would merge with rival Great Northern Railway and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). In 1996, BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Northtown to Moorhead portion of this line as the Staples Subdivision, and it is one of the busiest railroad lines in Minnesota.
Located near Bluffton along US Highway 10, this deck plate girder bridge crosses the Leaf River. Originally constructed in 1906 using a pair of 70-foot deck plate girder spans set onto concrete substructures, little has changed about this bridge since its initial construction. This style of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, due to the durability and ease of construction. Repairs have been made to the concrete substructures to stabilize them since initial construction. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with some significant substructure defects noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build Date | Bridge Book at the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association Archives |
| Contractor | Missing American Bridge Company plaque |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |