Main Street and CO&P Bridges over Fox River in Ottawa, IL

(Bridge Hunter broke Mar 22, 2023; Satellite)

CO&P = Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria Interurban

I looked closer at the photo to try to determine if it was pin connected. That is when I noticed there are two bridges. One with three truss spans, and a second with one tied-arch span. I presume the truss bridge was for street cars. A tied-arch span would have been way ahead of its time back then.

David Johnson posted
Ottawa ,Ill main street bridge

Street View, Oct 2019

The Main Street Bridge also carried the Chicago, Ottawa & Peoria interurban across the Fox River.

1915/15 Ottawa Quad @ 62,500

This is a reminder that interurban railroads typically use streetcar tracks to service towns along the way. The dashes in the streets indicates street running. I zoomed in because I noticed the CO&P leaves town on the west side one block further north than it enters on the east side. We see that it went north just west of the Main Street Bridge.

Digitally Zoomed

The UCEB (Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge) was built before 1939.

1939 Aerial Photo from ILHAP