Loveland Railroad Crossing

Located near Loveland, this through plate girder bridge carries a former Illinois Central Railroad mainline over a Union Pacific Railroad (former Chicago & North Western Railway) mainline. Prior to the construction of this line, the C&NW operated the only major mainline through the Boyer Valley. When the IC first built a line to Omaha, one of the major obstacles was crossing the C&NW. To minimize disruption to traffic, it was decided to construct an overpass, which required a large fill. In addition, the railroad would cross the Boyer River near this location. Currently, the bridge consists of a 94-foot through plate girder span, set onto stone abutments. In addition, the bridge is set at a heavy skew. The superstructure follows a unique design for the era, with two heavy plate girders and a floor consisting of several parallel I-beams covered by steel plates. The substructures follow a standard design, with stepped wing walls which extend parallel to the railroad below. Stone for the substructures consists of a tan limestone, which was quarried at an unknown location. American Bridge Works fabricated the superstructure as part of a contract for all steel bridgework required on this line, while local contractor Campbell & Saguin constructed the abutments as part of a contract for bridgework between Loveland and Council Bluffs. Through plate girder spans were popular for railroad use, as they were durable and easy to construct. In addition, this design maximized clearance underneath, and likely saved thousands of Dollars on fill at this location. While the C&NW below was originally double tracked, it was single tracked in 1964, and has operated in that configuration since. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations, and remains in regular 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 locally significant, due to the common design.