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| Name | BNSF Wavy Drive Bridge Northern Pacific Railway Bridge #184 |
| Built By | Northern Pacific Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | American Bridge Company of New York |
| Substructure Contractor | Peppard & Fulton of Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Length | 36 Feet Total |
| Width | 2 Tracks |
| Height Above Ground | 20 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1928 |
| Traffic Count | 50 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | Open to Traffic |
| Northern Pacific Railway Bridge Number | 184 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 184.2 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 7/24/2016 |
In 1871, the Northern Pacific Railroad (NP) continued building west from Staples, Minnesota; reaching Moorhead by the end of the year. The line extended to Duluth on the east. The line would be extended west to Bismarck, North Dakota by 1882. In 1877, the St. Paul & Northern Pacific Railway (StP&NP) would purchase and complete the partially built Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad line between Sauk Rapids and Brainerd, a distance of 61 miles. At Brainerd, the line connected to the NP line. Between 1883 and 1884, the StP&NP would complete an additional 66 miles from Northtown Junction in Minneapolis to Sauk Rapids. A 33 mile connection between Little Falls and Staples would be completed by the StP&NP in 1889. In 1896, the NP and StP&NP were sold and reorganized as the Northern Pacific Railway (NP). Further revisions near Little Falls were made in 1899, when a new bridge was constructed across the Mississippi River at the line slightly rerouted.
NP operated the Minneapolis to Moorhead segment of this line as their mainline between the Twin Cities and the Pacific Coast. As a result, significant reconstruction was done to the original route. The route was double tracked between 1902 and 1910, including a large reconstruction of the route between Hawley and Dilworth. In 1970, NP would merge with rival Great Northern Railway and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). In 1996, BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Northtown to Moorhead portion of this line as the Staples Subdivision, and it is one of the busiest railroad lines in Minnesota. A short segment of the original mainline through Little Falls also remains in use to serve Fort Ripley.
Located between Perham and New York Mills, this small deck plate girder bridge carries a former Northern Pacific Railway mainline over Wavy Drive (former US Highway 10). Prior to the construction of this bridge, a grade separation existed at this location. Starting in the mid-1920s, the Minnesota Highway Department (MHD) worked with railroads throughout the state to construct grade separations at busy and dangerous grade crossings throughout the state. One of the earliest projects was the construction of an underpass at US Highway 10N. Contracts for the project were awarded in 1928, and the project was completed later that year. US Highway 10N was renamed to US Highway 10 in 1934. Currently, the bridge consists of a double track 36-foot deck plate girder bridge, set onto concrete abutments and constructed at a 30-degree skew. The superstructure follows a standard design, with four shallow girders per track and a ballast deck. The abutments also use a standard design, with sloped wing walls constructed at different angles. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, while Peppard & Fulton constructed the substructure. This style of bridge was commonly used for grade separations, as it was durable and easy to construct. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations, and remains in regular use. US Highway 10 was rerouted on a new freeway alignment in 1976, and the bridge was retained to cross a local road. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant defects noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build date and builder (superstructure) | American Bridge Company plaque |
| Builder (substructure) | Engineering News-Record; Volume 99, Issue 26 |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |