Pecatonica Prairie Trail - Pecatonica River Bridge

Located west of the small town of Ridott, this historic through truss bridge carries the former Chicago & North Western Railway over the Pecatonica River. The first bridge at this location was a timber covered through truss bridge, constructed when the line was first built. In 1862, the bridge was rehabilitated, and new chords installed. In addition, stone substructures were constructed for the bridge. It is unknown if the bridge was upgraded again in the 1860s or 1870s. In 1887, a new steel through truss bridge would be constructed, reusing the existing substructures. Currently, the bridge consists of two 125-foot, riveted quadrangular lattice through truss spans, set onto stone substructures. The trusses utilize a standard design for the era, including a decorative pedimented portal bracing, laced members and a traditionally composed floor. Lassig Bridge & Iron Works likely fabricated the superstructure.

Although the lattice truss design was popular in Europe, few American railroads utilized the design. While Union Pacific Railroad, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway and a handful of eastern railroads utilized the design to various extents, no railroad constructed as many lattice truss bridges as the C&NW. Between 1878 and 1930, through trusses constructed by the C&NW nearly exclusively used this design. Although lattice trusses were not popular with American railroads after the 1880s, the C&NW relied heavily on this design, as it had proven to be resilient towards derailments and damage. The main drawback of the design was the unpredictable nature, as the structure was not statically determinant. The lattice truss design appears to have first been introduced to the C&NW by Leighton Bridge & Iron Works, which constructed some of the first iron lattice trusses for railroad use. Nearly all of the lattice trusses constructed for the C&NW between 1886 and 1900 were fabricated by Lassig Bridge & Iron Works.

Since the 1887 reconstruction, the bridge has seen relatively little changes. No major alterations appear to have been made to the superstructure of the bridge. Iron bands were installed around the pier and west abutment in the early 20th Century to stabilize the stone. Upon abandonment, the right-of-way and bridge were transferred to Commonwealth Edison, and the Pecatonica Prairie Path was unofficially opened along the right-of-way. Since the abandonment, the bridge has received a thin plywood deck over the railroad ties, and was open to pedestrians and maintenance vehicles for many years. The bridge has since been fenced off, and its future is uncertain. It is hoped that the bridge can be reused as part of the Pecatonica Prairie Trail when it is constructed in the area. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition. Despite this, the deck of the bridge is in poor condition, and the substructures likely need further repairs. The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the design and age.