Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge is a rail truss bridge
across the Missouri River
connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa
with Omaha, Nebraska
.
to the eastern United States. It has been rebuilt twice with the current bridge opening in 1916.
When the Union Pacific began heading west from Omaha in 1862 there were no railroads connecting to it from the east. Initial plans called for trains to connect to it by ferry. After the Chicago and North Western Railway
reached Council Bluffs in 1867, the Union Pacific for a while tried to run freight trains across the frozen river during the winter.
In 1869 the transcontinental railroad was completed. An 1871 report to stockholders has this description:
This bridge quickly became obsolete as trains and locomotives increased in weight. A replacement bridge was opened in 1888. This truss bridge rested on stone masonry piers.
The 1888 bridge also became obsolete. The peak year for American railroad track mileage was 1916. Nearly all interstate commerce went by rail. Union Pacific decided to upgrade the Missouri River crossing to handle the traffic. To keep this critical artery open the replacement bridge was constructed on temporary wooden piles immediately upstream of the 1888 stone piers. Another set of piles was driven into the river bed on the downstream side of the piers. When the new bridge was completed the old bridge was rigged with cables and winched from the stone piers to the temporary wood piles. The cables were rerigged to the new structure and it was pulled onto the stone piers. Tracks were connected and traffic resumed with less than one day of interruption. The 1888 bridge was then dismantled.
The approaches to the bridge were a mile and a half on each side. The Union Pacific initially committed to including a roadway with the bridge. However, it recanted, and it would not be until 1888 when the Douglas Street Bridge, later called the Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge, was opened as a roadway connecting the cities.
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
across the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
with Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
.
History
When it first opened on March 25, 1873, it connected the First Transcontinental RailroadFirst Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
to the eastern United States. It has been rebuilt twice with the current bridge opening in 1916.
When the Union Pacific began heading west from Omaha in 1862 there were no railroads connecting to it from the east. Initial plans called for trains to connect to it by ferry. After the Chicago and North Western Railway
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
reached Council Bluffs in 1867, the Union Pacific for a while tried to run freight trains across the frozen river during the winter.
- The want of a bridge over the Missouri River, at Omaha to connect the eastern railroads with the Union Pacific, has been one of the most annoying incidents connected with the trip to California.
- The bridge is of 11 spans, 250 feet each, 50 feet above high water, resting upon one store abutment now complete; and 11 iron piers, all in place and the larger part already sunk from 60 to 72 feet in the sand, and resting in the bed-rock.
This bridge quickly became obsolete as trains and locomotives increased in weight. A replacement bridge was opened in 1888. This truss bridge rested on stone masonry piers.
The 1888 bridge also became obsolete. The peak year for American railroad track mileage was 1916. Nearly all interstate commerce went by rail. Union Pacific decided to upgrade the Missouri River crossing to handle the traffic. To keep this critical artery open the replacement bridge was constructed on temporary wooden piles immediately upstream of the 1888 stone piers. Another set of piles was driven into the river bed on the downstream side of the piers. When the new bridge was completed the old bridge was rigged with cables and winched from the stone piers to the temporary wood piles. The cables were rerigged to the new structure and it was pulled onto the stone piers. Tracks were connected and traffic resumed with less than one day of interruption. The 1888 bridge was then dismantled.