Rating:
1 vote

BNSF/EJ&E Overpass

Kane County, Illinois

Photos 

BNSF Mendota Subdivision Bridge

Looking West through the 60' BNSF Mendota subdivision bridge. The Aurora Subdivision tunnel is beyond and the Lake St tunnel beyond that

Photo taken by Steve Conro in January 2012

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BH Photo #224085

Map 

Description 

Listed together as they are only a couple hundred feet apart and are basically the same. The BNSF Railroad splits into the Aurora and Mendota subdivisions about 1000' northeast of here. The former Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad (now a bike trail) used to cross under each branch. The larger (60') Mendota branch to the east and the skewed (40') Aurora branch to the west. There was then a bridge farther west at Lake St but its been filled in now for the bike trail. The EJ&E abandoned this line in the late 1970's.

Facts 

Overview
Bridge over Virgil Gilman Nature Trail (former EJ&E RR) on BNSF RR's
Location
Aurora, Kane County, Illinois
Status
Open to traffic
Design
Slab
Also called
Virgil Gilman Trail "Tunnel"
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.74656, -88.33187   (decimal degrees)
41°44'48" N, 88°19'55" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/389259/4622494 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Aurora South
Inventory number
BH 51127 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Aurora, Illinois (41)
Grade Separated Rail Crossing (380)
Illinois (4,647)
Kane County, Illinois (116)
Open (39,882)
Railroad (15,414)
Slab (2,063)

Update Log 

  • January 31, 2012: Updated by Daniel Hopkins: Added category "Railroad"
  • January 30, 2012: Added by Steve Conro

Sources 

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Comments 

BNSF/EJ&E Bridges
Posted February 8, 2012, by Steve Conro (sconro [at] yahoo [dot] com)

Thanks everyone, bridges it is.

BNSF/EJ&E "Tunnels"
Posted January 31, 2012, by Michael Goff (michael [dot] goff [at] hotmail [dot] com)

I agree that these are rigid frames or slabs on walls. I think the description below is a good one. If it is bored or cut through a formation it's a tunnel. If it has fill over it, its a bridge or culvert.

BNSF/EJ&E "Tunnels"
Posted January 30, 2012, by Clark Vance (cvance [at] dogmail [dot] com)

I use "tunnel" for cuts through existing formations, "bridge" (usually rigid frame) where it passes through fill built up over it.

BNSF/EJ&E "Tunnels"
Posted January 30, 2012, by Matt Lohry

I guess I would classify them as not much more than box culverts with wingwalls. They're basically the same design as those that are used to allow pedestrian and biking trails to pass under freeways, but on a larger scale.

BNSF/EJ&E "Tunnels"
Posted January 30, 2012, by Steve Conro (sconro [at] yahoo [dot] com)

I really don't know if these should be tunnels or bridges. Anyone care to weigh in. I'd be glad to change them.