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Clinton Railroad Bridge

Clinton Railroad Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: August 11, 2012, August 11, 2013, December 16, 2017, and October 15, 2021

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Railroad (Union Pacific) Over Mississippi River (West Channel)
Location
Clinton and Fulton: Clinton County, Iowa and Whiteside County, Illinois: United States
Structure Type
Metal Rivet-Connected Through Truss, Movable: Swing (Rim Bearing Center Pier) and Approach Spans: Metal 9 Panel Rivet-Connected Lattice (Quadruple Warren) Through Truss, Fixed
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1909 By Builder/Contractor: Pennsylvania Steel Company of Steelton, Pennsylvania
Rehabilitation Date
Not Available or Not Applicable
Main Span Length
460.0 Feet (140.2 Meters)
Structure Length
855.0 Feet (260.6 Meters)
Roadway Width
Not Available
Spans
1 Main Span(s) and 2 Approach Span(s)
Inventory Number
Not Applicable

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
View Information About HSR Ratings

Bridge Documentation

This bridge's future is at risk!

John Marvig provided details on the dimensions of the bridge as follows:

Clinton Bridges

Main Channel

Bridge #0 3/4 (UP bridge #136.65)

1-52' Deck Girder, 1-230' Swing Span [Note this is for a single arm, the overall swing span length is 460], 1-185' Parker Truss, 1-150' Quadrangular Truss

Middle Channel

Bridge #0 1/2 (UP Bridge #136.26)

Dimenions not available.

East Channel (Sunfish Slough)

Bridge #0 1/4 (UP Bridge #136.10)

11-50' Deck Girders (No plaques attached)

View Historical Articles About Bridge

View An Application For Funding To Replace This Bridge

This bridge is, like most historic railroad swing bridges over the Mississippi River, at risk for demolition and replacement. This is most unfortunate because this is a highly significant bridge. Its swing span of 460 feet is a long span example of its type. The truss configuration is quite unusual on the swing span as well. Many swing bridges have a truss arrangement quite different from fixed bridge due to the changing forces a swing span encounters when carrying load and when swinging open. However, this bridge is particularly unusual. The ends of the swing span have a Warren style truss configuration, but near the center "tower" portion this design loses its pattern and has a design that is difficult to categorize, but is somewhat like a Baltimore truss. Moreover, the tower portion of the bridge has a very narrow appearance compared to other swing bridges with a similar shape. In short, the swing bridge is fairly unusual in its design. The approach spans are noteworthy also. There is a traditionally composed Parker truss immediately east of the swing span. East of that, there is a lattice truss. Lattice trusses are in general rare, but were preferred by the original owner of this bridge, the Chicago and NorthWestern Railroad. East of this bridge, there is a second fixed longer bridge composed of many lattice truss spans.

Special thanks to John Marvig for graciously sharing his photos of this bridge. This is a very time consuming bridge to document fully due to its multiple sections.

Above: Historical postcard of bridge.


This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos

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Photo Galleries and Videos: Clinton Railroad Bridge

 

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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Original / Full Size Photos
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Bridge Photo-Documentation

Mobile Optimized Photos
A collection of overview and detail photos. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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Additional Unorganized Photos

Original / Full Size Photos
A supplemental collection of photos that are from additional visit(s) to the bridge and have not been organized or captioned. This gallery offers photos in the highest available resolution and file size in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
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View Photo Gallery

Additional Unorganized Photos

Mobile Optimized Photos
A supplemental collection of photos that are from additional visit(s) to the bridge and have not been organized or captioned. This gallery features data-friendly, fast-loading photos in a touch-friendly popup viewer.
Alternatively, Browse Without Using Viewer

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Maps and Links: Clinton Railroad Bridge

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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