Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge

View an article detailing the 1903 reconstruction of this bridge.

A one-of-a-kind bridge, this historic through truss swing bridge crosses the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Omaha. In 1890, the Omaha Bridge & Terminal Railway began construction on a line extending from Omaha, Nebraska to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The new line would also utilize a swing bridge across the Missouri River, built in 1893 and 1894. The new line was opened in 1894, and the Omaha Bridge & Terminal Railway was leased into the Illinois Central Railroad in 1899. The original bridge consisted of a 520-foot through truss swing bridge, set onto a stone center pier. Each half of the swing span was comprised of a 7-panel pin connected modified Baltimore through truss. In addition, three 199-foot through truss spans approached the bridge on the west (Nebraska) end, along with several trestle spans on either end. These approaches were considered to be temporary, with permanent replacements anticipated. The bridge was constructed for double track, with the superstructure being fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Company, and the substructures being fabricated by Sooysmith & Company and John Alexander Low Waddell designing the bridge. The original bridge crossed the river at an angle, and was designed this way to allow for a crossing at a right angle as soon as the temporary spans were replaced with permanent spans. As early as 1895, the river channel began to shift west. By 1902, the river channel had shifted nearly 300 feet west, to be under the Nebraska approach spans.

In 1902, the Illinois Central Railroad had completely purchased the Omaha Bridge & Terminal Railway. The following year, work began to reconstruct the bridge, with work completed in 1904. The approaches to the bridge were realigned so to cross the river at a right angle. A second, nearly identical, swing span was added directly west of the original swing span. Eight through plate girder approaches were added to the Nebraska end, and one through plate girder approach added to the Iowa end. The new swing span would be set onto stone piers, with the approach spans set onto concrete piers and abutments. Because of the location of the original swing span, the original span and center pier were reused in the new structure, just in a slightly turned manner. This configuration is illustrated in the link above. The superstructure was fabricated by the American Bridge Company, the substructures constructed by the Foundation Company, and the bridge designed by Waddell & Hedrick. The piers were constructed of Kettle River Sandstone, quarried near Sandstone, Minnesota.

Despite having near identical designs, there are some significant differences between the two swing spans. The Iowa (1893) swing span was fabricated of iron, and utilizes lighter members and lattice portals. In contrast, the Nebraska (1903) span was constructed of steel, and utilizes an M-frame portal with heavier members. The Nebraska span also utilizes much heavier sway and lateral bracings, and at the time of construction, the load carrying capacity of the 1903 span was reported to be over 1.5 times higher than the 1893 span. When first constructed in 1893, and again in 1903, these swing spans were believed to be the longest in the world. This is also believed to be the only bridge utilizing a "double pivot" swing span in the United States. Another bridge at Sioux City, known as the "Combination Bridge" was designed and constructed by the same engineer and contractors as the Iowa span, but the swing spans of that bridge were not back to back.

The second track on the bridge was removed prior to 1952. In the late 1970s, the Iowa span of the bridge was damaged in a fire, and as a result had to be operated by a bulldozer. Railroad traffic over the bridge ceased in approximately 1980, and the Iowa span was permanently parked in open position. The Canadian National Railway (CN) purchased Illinois Central in 1999. As of 2024, the bridge has been in open position for over 40 years, and is unlikely to see a train again. Unfortunately, the United States Coast Guard considers the bridge a hazard to navigation, as the Missouri River remains navigable to Sioux City. Without a serious plan to preserve the bridge, the bridge will inevitably be removed. Fortunately, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, despite being unused for so long. It may be feasible to reuse the bridge as observation decks or possibly a pedestrian bridge, although such efforts would have to be well coordinated, and would possibly require a significant rehabilitation of the bridge. It has long been rumored that the bridge has been retained, due to the critical status of maintaining a crossing at Omaha if the Union Pacific bridge ever encountered issues. The author has ranked this bridge as being nationally significant, due to the landmark status, unique history and one-of-a-kind design.