Rating:
7 votes
Inter-Urban Trail Bridge
Facts
- Overview
- Pratt through truss bridge over Des Moines River on Interurban Trail
- Location
- Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
- Status
- Open to pedestrians
- History
- Built 1905, Abandoned 1982; Converted to trail use 1998, repaired 2012
- Railroads
- - Chicago & North Western Railway (CNW)
- Des Moines & Central Iowa Railway (DCI; DMCI)
- Inter-Urban Railway Co.
- Interurban
- Design
- 1 Span I-Beam (Non Authentic)
4 - 127' Pratt Through Truss Spans
4 Spans Trestle (non authentic) - Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 127.0 ft.
Total length: 615.0 ft.
- Also called
- DCI - Wakonsa Bridge (Old Nickname)
Wakonsa Bridge (Old Nickname)
Wakonsa Bridge (Old Nickname)
DCI - Des Moines River Bridge
ITU - Des Moines River Bridge
Inter-Urban Trail - Des Moines River Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +41.62444, -93.64443 (decimal degrees)
41°37'28" N, 93°38'40" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/446317/4608280 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Des Moines SW
- Inventory number
- BH 49355 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- February 13, 2021: New photo from Luke
- April 4, 2014: New Street View added by Luke Harden
- July 4, 2013: Updated by John Marvig: Corrected Build Date-Bridge was built 1905, NOT 1902
- June 21, 2013: New photo from Michael O'Brien
- June 12, 2013: New photo from Michael O'Brien
- December 9, 2012: Updated by John Marvig: trestle approaches replaced this fall
- October 21, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added category "Interurban"
- July 22, 2012: Updated by John Marvig: Added information after seeing up close
- July 2, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added abandonment date to history
- June 26, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added category "Des Moines & Central Iowa Railroad "
- May 11, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Rail-to-trail", "Des Moines & Central Iowa Railroad "
- August 15, 2011: Added by Luke Harden
Sources
- Luke
- Railway Age, Volume 38 - Book
- John Marvig - marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Michael O'Brien
Comments
Interurban Trail Bridge
Photos #70 and #71 are incorrectly placed. Note the difference in portal bracing. These belong on this page.
Interurban Trail Bridge
http://www.bikeiowa.com/News/5623/inter-urban-trail-bridge-c...
Repaired recently, including the replacement of the trestle approaches. Looking at the westernmost pier, I can see why the piers were repaired.
© Copyright 2021, Historic Bridge Foundation and contributors.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ia/polk/inter-urban-trail/
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ia/polk/inter-urban-trail/
Noting that this bridge was built by a small interurban, it appears that the trusses on this bridge are actually older than 1905. It also seems that there are two different designs on this structure.
This bridge:
http://bridgehunter.com/mn/hennepin/luce-line-trail/
was built by a major railroad but purchased and moved by a small electric railroad. It appears a similar situation may have happened here, and further research will be conducted.