UP Kankakee River Bridge (Wilmington)

Wilmington, Will County, Illinois

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Name	UP Kankakee River Bridge (Wilmington) Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge #52.80
Built By	Chicago & Alton Railroad
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Substructure Contractors	Unknown
Length	540 Feet Total, 108 Foot Spans
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built	1912
Date Replaced	2017
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been Replaced)
Current Status	Replaced by a new bridge
Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge Number	52.80
Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	52.80
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	6/9/2015

In 1850, the Alton and Sangamon Railroad began construction on a 220 mile railroad line, extending from Joliet, Illinois to Alton, Illinois; with stations in Bloomington and Springfield, Illinois. The railroad was acquired by the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad and completed in 1855. The Alton and St. Louis Railroad constructed a 22 mile line from Alton to East St. Louis in 1856. The railroads were reorganized as the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago Railroad in 1857, and was merged into the Chicago & Alton Railroad (C&A) in 1862. The C&A developed several lines throughout central Illinois, and this route made up the principal mainline of the system. A bypass of Alton between Godfrey and East St. Louis was constructed in As traffic grew on the system through the 1870s and 1880s, the need for a second track became apparent. A second track was added in 1870 between Mazonia and Odell, from 1888 to 1893 between Odell and Bloomington, and through Springfield in 1893. This route became an important route to the Illinois railroad network, providing the most direct connection between St. Louis and Chicago.

Throughout the years, the C&A would be affiliated with several larger railroads, and the railroad primarily operated as a bridge route. The C&A was reorganized in 1901, and until 1906 was owned by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway. Between Bloomington and Springfield, a second track was constructed in 1907, and a second track was constructed in 1911 between Springfield and East St. Louis. A large realignment was made between Atlanta and Lawndale in 1924. In 1931, the C&A would be reorganized as the Alton Railroad (A), a subsidiary of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The Alton was sold to the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad (GM&O) in 1949, and the various subsidiaries consolidated at that time. The GM&O merged with the Illinois Central Railroad to form Illinois Central Gulf (ICG) in 1972. During the ICG years, the route was downgraded, and the second track mostly removed. This line was excess for the ICG, and the route would be sold to the Chicago, Missouri & Western Railway (CM&W) in 1987. The CM&W went bankrupt, and the line was sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1989, which became part of Union Pacific Railroad in 1996. During the 2010s, the route was rebuilt for high speed rail. Today, Union Pacific continues to operate this route as the Joliet Subdivision between Joliet and Bloomington, and the Springfield Subdivision between Bloomington and East St. Louis. High speed Amtrak trains also utilize this route.

Located in Wilmington, this large deck plate girder bridge once carried the former Chicago & Alton Railroad over the Kankakee River. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber truss bridge, which may have been replaced by an iron bridge in the 1870s. In 1881, the bridge would be reconstructed with five 108-foot through truss spans, set onto stone substructures. A derailment in 1883 resulted in damage to the northern span, which was promptly replaced. By the early 20th Century, this bridge had become too light for traffic, and various proposals were made to replace the bridge. Due to the rock bottom of the Kankakee River, one proposal made included replacing the bridge with a concrete arch bridge. Ultimately, it was decided to replace the bridge with a new deck plate girder bridge in 1912.

This bridge consisted of five 108-foot skewed deck plate girder spans, which reused the previous stone substructures. These substructures were modified during the construction of the girder span, and concrete repairs made. The girder spans were heavily constructed, and among the largest deck girder spans ever constructed when initially built. In 1944, the northernmost pier would be encased with concrete, giving the bridge its final appearance. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, while unknown contractors constructed the substructure. While a majority of the Chicago to St. Louis line was double tracked, this bridge remained a bottleneck for the railroad. Various proposals were made to replace the bridge with a double track structure in the 20th Century, but these never came to fruition. Deck plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. In 2017, the bridge would be replaced by a new single track girder span as part of a high-speed rail project, and a second track was added to the new bridge in 2023. The new bridge reuses portions of the original stone abutments, which were reconstructed to accommodate the modern superstructure. Overall, the bridge was in fair condition at the time of replacement, but did not meet the needs of the proposed high-speed rail coordinator. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Build date	Illinois Central Gulf Missouri Division 1979 Track Profile
Builder	American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele