Kate Shelley High Bridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kate Shelley High Bridge is the highest double-track railroad bridge in the United States. It is located approximately 3 miles west of the city of Boone, Iowa.

The bridge was designed by George S. Morison for the Chicago and North Western Railway and was constructed from 1899 to 1901. It stands at 185 ft height above the Des Moines River with a length of 2,685 ft. It was renamed in 1912 to honor Kate Shelley.

As the original double track bridge is currently getting ever aged and trains are subject to slow speeds (25MPH) crossing it, Union Pacific (owners of the C&NW property) is currently working a on a new, double track, concrete bridge scheduled to open Fall 2008. The bridge is located on a very busy route and it was much more cost effective to build a new bridge capable of much higher speeds. The current bridge and its name will remain.^[1]