Wiscona Railroad Crossing (North)

Located at Wiscona Junction on the northwest side of Milwaukee, this large through truss bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway mainline over the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad) and the Oak Leaf Trail (former The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company). 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 to cross two railroads at Wiscona. Initially, this structure consisted of a large through truss span, a deck plate girder span and timber pile trestle approach on either end, which would allow the approach embankments to settle without damaging any permanent bridgework. The timber approaches were replaced with a secondhand deck plate girder span and a secondhand steel stringer span in approximately 1938, giving the bridge its present configuration.

Currently, the bridge consists of a 195-foot, 8-panel, riveted subdivided Warren through truss span, set onto concrete piers. The east approach is composed of a 42-foot deck plate girder span, while the west approach is composed of a 55-foot deck plate girder span and a 19-foot steel stringer span, set onto concrete pile substructures. Typical of late 1920s truss spans, the truss span used for this bridge is heavily constructed, with large built-up members and a heavy floor system. The endposts of the truss are heavily constructed, consisting of built-up beams with X-lacing on the back and a solid plate on the front. The top chord is composed of built-up beams, constructed of X-lacing on both sides. The bottom chord is also constructed of built-up beams, with thin plates connecting the two members. Main diagonal members of the span are composed of built-up beams, which use a similar design to the bottom chord. Conversely, the vertical members and sub-members are constructed of solid rolled beams. The portal bracing uses a heavy A-frame design, constructed of X-laced beams, while the sway bracing uses an inverted "A" shape constructed of steel bars. The upper lateral bracing is composed of X-laced beams, while the lower lateral bracing is composed of thin steel bars. Typical of truss spans from this era, the floor is composed of two heavy plate girder stringers and plate girder floorbeams placed at the panel points.

The approach spans use a variety of designs, which are mainly standard for spans from this era. The western deck girder span (span #3) is traditionally composed, and is composed of two heavy plate girders. The eastern deck girder span (span #1) appears to have originally been fabricated in approximately 1910 for use at an unknown location. This span consists of four moderate sized girders, and it is unknown if this span was originally constructed with four girders. The west approach appears to have originally been fabricated in approximately 1910 for use at an unknown location, and consists of four beams arranged into two sets of two. The east and center pier consist of rectangular concrete structures, while the west pier and abutments use a concrete pile design with a large concrete cap. American Bridge Company fabricated the main span and span #3, while unknown contractors fabricated the east and west approaches. Local contractor Henry Danischefsky constructed the east and center piers, while it is unknown if the remaining substructures were constructed by railroad company forces or by an unknown contractor. Large subdivided Warren trusses became popular in 1910s and 1920s, as they allowed for truss spans to be constructed longer than traditional Warren spans allowed. Deck plate girder and steel 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.