Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge

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| image = Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge.jpg

| image_size = 300px

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| caption = View from the south, looking upstream in 2012

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| carries = Railroad

| crosses = Missouri River

| locale = Council Bluffs, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska

| owner = Illinois Central

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| designer = J.A.L. Waddell

| engineering =

| design = Swing Bridge

| material = Iron, Steel

| length = 1,625 ft (495.3 m) {{Cite web|last=Lefevers|first=Delana|date=2017-04-17|title=There's Something Incredibly Unique About This Abandoned Bridge in Nebraska|url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nebraska/unique-abandoned-bridge-ne/|access-date=2021-05-30|website=OnlyInYourState|language=en-US}}

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| spans = 2

| pierswater = 3

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| complete = 1893

| open = 1903

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| coordinates = {{Coord|41|16|41|N|95|53|28|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline}}

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The Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge, also known as the IC Bridge or the East Omaha Bridge, is a rail through truss double swing bridge across the Missouri River connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa, with Omaha, Nebraska. It is owned by the Canadian National Railway and is closed to all traffic. At 521 feet long, the second version of the bridge was the longest swing bridge in the world from when it was completed in 1903 through 1915.{{cite book |last=Waddell |first=John Alexander Low |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hiM5AAAAMAAJ&q=waddell+Bridge+engineering |year=1916 |title=Bridge Engineering, Volume 1 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc| via=Google Books}}{{page needed|date=February 2018}} In 1975 it was regarded as the third longest swing bridge.{{cite book |last=Marshall |first=John |year=1975 |title=The Guinness Book of Rail Facts and Feats|publisher=Guinness Superlatives |page=99|isbn=9780900424335 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GI9TAAAAYAAJ&q=The+Guinness+book+of+rail+facts+and+feats+1975| via=Google Books}}

Description

The current bridge features a drawspan of 521 feet with a fixed span of 560 feet carrying a double track railway between the trusses.{{cite book |last=Waddell |first=J.A.L. |url=https://archive.org/details/depontibusapock02waddgoog |title=De pontibus: A pocket-book for bridge engineers |publisher=New York, J. Wiley & sons; [etc., etc.] |year=1898 |page=[https://archive.org/details/depontibusapock02waddgoog/page/n176 156]}} The bridge is composed of two 520' long draws.{{cite book |title=Poor's and Moodys Consolidated Manual. Volume 2, Part 1 |publisher=Moody Manual Company |year=1915 |page=398}} The Iowa swing span, still from the original bridge constructed in 1893, is of wrought iron; the Nebraska swing span was built in 1904 of steel.

History

= Early history =

File:East Omaha Swing Bridge 1905.jpg

The East Omaha Bridge was originally built in 1893 and was owned by the Omaha Bridge and Terminal Railway Company.{{cite book|last=White|first=J.T.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gawYAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA468|title=The National cyclopaedia of American biography|year=1904|page=468|access-date=March 19, 2011|via=Google Books}} Originally, only the southern (Iowa-side) span was moveable.

The Illinois Central Railroad (IC) first gained rights to the bridge in 1899, and started running through Omaha in January 1900. It gained a controlling interest in 1902, and took complete control of the Omaha Bridge and Terminal Railway Company in 1903.{{cite web |title=IC Swing Bridge |url=http://bridgehunter.com/ne/douglas/ic-swing/ |access-date=March 4, 2011 |website=Bridgehunter.com}} IC used the East Omaha Bridge for passenger trains from 1900 to 1921, and again from 1938 to 1939.

In 1901, the bridge was targeted as part of a consolidation effort to bring together the street railway, electric light, and water utilities under public authority. "The plans for consolidation, in fact, include the union of interests in the cities of Omaha, South Omaha, and Council Bluffs..." Other utilities included the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway and Bridge Company, the Council Bluffs Electric Light Company, and the Omaha Water Company, among others. These plans ultimately called for damming the Missouri River north of Omaha for an electricity plant; they ultimately were not actualized for this purpose,{{cite journal| date=September 7, 1901| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-oVNAAAAYAAJ| journal=The Street Railway Journal| volume=18| publisher=Street Railway Publishing Company| page=305| title=Gigantic Power Plant for Omaha| via=Google Books}} and when consolidation did occur, it did not include the bridge.

The northern span (Nebraska side) also gained the ability to swing following reconstructions in January 1904 and 1908 by the American Bridge Company. The double swing was necessary due to the changing channel of the river. Concerns about the effect of the river's flow on the bridge had been expressed as early as an 1895 Congressional Report in which the river's course change was predicted.{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3C42AQAAIAAJ&pg=RA4-PA5| title=United States Congressional serial set| issue=3171| year=1895| pages=5–6| via=Google Books}} Precautionary steps were taken early in the bridge's history; however, the flow continued to affect it.

During the reconstruction, there was discussion as to whether the bridge should be open to pedestrian and street traffic as well as rail traffic. Ultimately, it was limited to rail use only,{{cite web |date=February 10, 2009 |title=Omaha Bridge and Terminal Railway Company (Omaha, Neb.) |url=http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/manuscripts/business/omaha-bridge.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806214233/http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/manuscripts/business/omaha-bridge.htm |archive-date=August 6, 2011 |access-date=March 4, 2011 |website=Nebraska State Historical Society}} Communique regarding the East Omaha Bridge. including commuter service between the two cities.

= Mid-20th century =

Completed in 1957,{{Cite web

|url = http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/Lake_Proj/gavinspoint/dam.html

|title = Gavins Point Dam & Powerplant

|access-date = March 18, 2011

|publisher = United States Army Corps of Engineers

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110601221857/http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/Lake_Proj/gavinspoint/dam.html

|archive-date = June 1, 2011

}}

the Gavins Point Dam controls the Missouri River flow at Omaha.{{cite news| last=Gaarder| first=Nancy| date=March 3, 2011| url=http://www.omaha.com/article/20110303/NEWS01/703039895/0| archive-url=https://archive.today/20110306054048/http://www.omaha.com/article/20110303/NEWS01/703039895/0| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 6, 2011| title=No release at Gavins Point?| work=Omaha World Herald| access-date=March 19, 2011}} It has limited the flow of water at Omaha because of both droughts and decreased flow because of electricity needs met by the dam. Between that, levee building, and channelization of the river, starting in the 1950s the Iowa side of the bridge has spanned dry land, and the double swing became unnecessary. With the controlled flow of the Gavins Point Dam, starting in the 1960s the bridge was closed for rail traffic during the winter months when the Missouri River was shut down for barge traffic.

In the 1970s the bridge the swing mechanism on the Iowa side was damaged in a fire of the equipment housing. In the spring when the river reopened the bridge would also be reopened for traffic. In the winter the Iowa side of the bridge would be swung open and closed by hooking a cable up to a bulldozer pulling it.

= Closure =

File:Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge, 2020.jpg

File:Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge in May of 2023.jpgThe bridge was taken out of service in 1980. Today the Iowa half is permanently wenched open to allow river traffic to cruise through without interruption. All railroad traffic through the Council Bluffs/Omaha area now crosses via the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge. A feasibility study conducted in the 1990s determined the need to keep the track and bridge in place in case of a problem with the Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge.

IC was later by the Canadian National Railway in 1998, which currently owns the bridge.

References

External links

[https://www.flickr.com/photos/cbpl/5415675347/ 1900 photo] from Council Bluffs Public Library Special Collections.
[http://www.ericdatz.com/e24401.jpg Historical image] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710195438/http://www.ericdatz.com/e24401.jpg |date=2011-07-10 }} from before 1903.

{{Crossings navbox

|structure = Crossings

|place = Missouri River

|bridge = Illinois Central Missouri River Bridge

|bridge signs = Illinois Central Railroad

|upstream = Mormon Bridge

|upstream signs = 20px

|downstream = Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge

|downstream signs =

}}

Category:Railroad bridges in Iowa

Category:Railroad bridges in Nebraska