The Camelback Bridge is a restored historic wooden bridge that arches over the Constitution Trail

Constitution Trail

The Constitution Trail is a multi-use rail trail located in Illinois. It occupies an abandoned Illinois Central Gulf Railroad corridor that runs through the 'Twin Cities' of Bloomington and Normal in McLean County, Illinois....

 in Normal, Illinois

Normal, Illinois

Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...

. It is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. The bridge's main span is a wooden kingpost pony truss. The bridge features supports that are Phoenix columns, a special type of iron column that was patented by the Phoenix Iron Company in 1862. They are extremely rare to find today.

History

The bridge was built with its distinctive camelback shape to allow steam locomotives to pass underneath. When the railroad stopped using the tracks, the original form was no longer needed, and during the rehabilitation the bridge was rebuilt to a lower height to allow easier access to vehicles.

External links

• Town of Normal Historic Preservation