Burlington Rail Bridge

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Burlington Rail Bridge
Official name BNSF Br. 204.66
Carries Double track rail line
Crosses Mississippi River
Locale Burlington, Iowa and Gulf Port, Illinois
Maintained by BNSF Railway
Design 5-250' Fixed Trusses, 1-370' Lift Span Truss, 2-Deck Plate Girder Spans
Total length 2145'
Width 34'-6"
Longest span 370' Lift Span
Vertical clearance 19.5' (Closed) 44.1' (Open) over 2% Flowline
Opened 1867 (Original) 1893 (Replacement) 2010 (2nd Replacement)
Coordinates 40°47′55″N 91°05′31″W / 40.79861°N 91.09194°W / 40.79861; -91.09194

The Burlington Bridge carries double tracked rail lines across the Mississippi River between Burlington, Iowa, and Gulf Port, Illinois. The bridge is currently owned by BNSF Railway as part of its Chicago to Denver mainline. The bridge is planned to be replaced with a vertical lift bridge to double the width of the navigational channel once about $40 million is appropriated. [1] Amtrak's California Zephyr crosses this bridge. The original bridge at this location was constructed in 1868.[2] It was reconstructed in 1893 in its current form.[3] On May 1, 2008, 5 fully loaded barges broke loose during a period of high water. One struck the bridge and became lodged under it. The bridge was closed until midday on May 2, when one track was opened after it was deemed safe. The barge was removed during the afternoon of May 3 and the other track was reopened that evening bringing the bridge back to full use to carry the dozens of trains that cross it daily.

The BNSF Railway began work to replace the bridge in late 2009.[4] The project was split into two phases, with the lift span being built first by Ames Construction, of Burnsville, MN and the approach trusses built by the Walsh Construction Company of Chicago, IL. The lift span was complete and operational by February 2011, while the remainder of the bridge wasn't officially dedicated until October 2012.[5]

See also

External links

  • The Burlington Rail Bridge (1985)

  • C.B. & Q. Railroad bridge (1891)

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Iowa DOT Tiger Grant Application
  2. ↑ The Original Construction of the Burlington Bridge in 1867-68, 7 March 1894
  3. ↑ Reconstruction of the Burlington Bridge, 6 December 1893
  4. ↑ BNSFToday, 29 September 2009
  5. ↑ Burlington Hawkeye, 19 October 2012
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