UP Milwaukee River Bridge (Glendale)

Located in Glendale, this large deck truss and deck plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway Shoreline Subdivision over the Milwaukee River, Milwaukee River Parkway and Sunny Point Road. In the 1920s, the Village of Whitefish Bay was concerned about the increasing amount of train traffic through the Village. At the same time, the C&NW sought to improve operations between the Shoreline Subdivision and the Wisconsin Division, which previously required trains to back-track to Shorewood to connect between the two divisions. In 1927, the C&NW received approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission to construct a new cutoff between Wiscona, a junction near Mill Road and Teutonia Avenue and the north side of Whitefish Bay. With the work, the C&NW would be permitted to abandon the existing line through Whitefish Bay. Construction began that year, with the cutoff opening to traffic in 1929. As part of the construction, a large structure was required across the Milwaukee River. Initially, this structure consisted of a single deck truss span, approached by a large deck plate girder span on either end. The remaining approaches were constructed of timber pile trestle, which would allow the approach embankments to settle without damaging any permanent bridgework. The timber approaches were replaced with deck plate girder spans and concrete piers in 1938, giving the bridge its present configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of a 150-foot, 6-panel, riveted Warren deck truss span, set onto concrete piers. The west end is approached by a 70-foot deck plate girder span (constructed 1928) and a 42-foot deck plate girder span (constructed 1938). The east approach consists of an 80-foot deck plate girder span (constructed 1928), a 30-foot, six 42-foot, one 45-foot, one 42-foot, one 55-foot, one 35-foot and three 42-foot deck plate girder spans (constructed 1938). The approaches are supported by concrete pile piers and abutments, which use standard octagonal concrete piles covered by a concrete cap. Typical of spans from this era, the truss span is heavily constructed, with extensive built-up members, large riveted connections and a heavy floor system. The endposts and top chord are composed of heavily built-up beams, connected with extensive X-lacing. The bottom chord is composed of a lighter built-up beam, composed of thin plates spaced throughout the chord. The vertical endposts at the end of the truss are composed of large beams, which are both rolled and built-up with X-lacing. The tension members of the truss are composed of X-laced built-up beams, while the compression members are composed of solid rolled beams. The vertical members are composed of two beams, connected by thin plates. A lower lateral bracing is present on the span, which is comprised mainly of V-laced beams. In addition, internal bracing between the top chord and bottom chord is composed of thin steel bars. The floor system is constructed of two I-beam stringers and plate girder floorbeams at the panel points. The deck plate girder spans all use a standard design, with two heavy plate girders. Spans constructed in 1928 use an open deck design, while the spans constructed in 1938 are covered by a ballast deck, consisting of sheet metal placed on transverse I-beams.

Because the bridge was constructed at different times, two different sets of contractors were used to construct the bridge. American Bridge Company fabricated the deck truss span and adjacent deck girder spans. Local contractor Henry Danischefsky constructed piers #2 and #3, which support the truss span. The remainder of the approaches were fabricated by the Bethlehem Steel Company, and it is unknown if the other substructures were constructed by an unknown contractor or by railroad company forces. Warren deck trusses became popular in the early 20th Century, as they provided a simple, durable and economical design. These spans were ideal for short to medium-length truss spans. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. The style of concrete pile substructures seen on this bridge was a standard C&NW design, used extensively in the mid-20th Century. These concrete piles could be cast offsite and installed with minimal interruption to railroad traffic. Since the 1938 reconstruction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations, and remains in use. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.