CPKC/Milwaukee Middle Bridge (Foster Viaduct #2) over Soap Creek near Foster, Iowa

(Satellite)

I've learned from a comment by someone that worked in the Bridges and Buildings department of a railroad that this design for a trestle that consists of girders over and between towers is considered a viaduct. And he was quite clear that only this type of bridge should be called a viaduct.

Michael Parker posted

An absolutely spectacular chase, of a breathtakingly beautiful locomotive. 

    CP Hudson [Empress] 2816, on her Final Spike tour, from Calgary to Mexico City. 

   Ended up with 19 intercepts, over nearly 300 track miles, over a combination of former Milwaukee Road and Rock Island trackage,  on CPKC's Ottumwa, Laredo, and Kansas City Subdivisions. 

    Great to see so many friends out chasing too, and contrary to some reports, it was by and large a very civilized chase. 

    Buffalo Iowa to Birmingham Missouri 

5-11-24

Middle bridge at Foster Iowa
Roger Riblett shared

John Harker posted four images with the comment:

A Milw east bound freight heavy with TOFC out of Kansas City was crossing Soap Creek Trestle, the middle Foster bridge, northeast of Moravia, Iowa in the summer of 1981. Mike Schafer had to pull off a township road into a field to get this angle of view looking to the south.  A 1981 Milw employee timetable, an Iowa track profile and a Google Earth photo are included for reference.  John Harker image editing, write up and collection.

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Michael Parker posted
Foster Iowa

4 of 6 photos posted by Union Station Kansas City with the comment:

CPKC's  Empress 2816 is on its way to Kansas City! These stunning photos were captured by Andrew McDonald of Persistent Vision Photography as this magnificent 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive was passing over the Foster Viaduct #2 in Albia, Iowa, and then traveling through Missouri in Newton and Excelsior Springs.

Don't miss the rare opportunity for an up-close encounter with The Empress 2816 when CPKC's Final Spike Steam Tour rolls into Union Station this Saturday from 12-5pm. This special FREE family-friendly event will also feature a mobile museum exhibit with a chance to learn about CPKC's rich history and discover fascinating tales of their railway legacy. Guests of all ages can also enjoy FREE rides on the Puffer Belly Express mini-train, a quarter-scale steam locomotive model!

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Just a little further west is a bridge over Kinser Creek.

I had to go a ways to the east to find another bridge.

As usual, I started with a topo map, and then I looked on a satellite map.

1942 Mystic Quad @ 62,500

US-160 Bridge over Piedra River washed out

(Satellite)

Nov 1, 2026, flood

Nov 9, 2026: Aimee Brennan Posted

CDOT Update Piedra River Bridge

🚨 PIEDRA RIVER BRIDGE COULD REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL JANUARY

We're getting a clearer picture of just how long it could take to restore US-160 between Durango and Pagosa Springs.

According to CDOT Regional Director Julie Constan, speaking Friday, November 6:

BEST CASE: CHRISTMAS 2026

WORST CASE: MID-JANUARY 2027

Flooding on November 1–2 caused the bridge's support piers to collapse, leaving the crossing impassable.

CDOT estimates it will take roughly 30 days to assemble a temporary bridge once the necessary components arrive.

A permanent replacement is planned for spring and summer 2027.

For communities relying on this critical stretch of highway, the disruption could last well into winter.

Source: CDOT Regional Director Julie Constan, as reported by the Durango Herald on November 6, 2026. 

Timelines are estimates and subject to change.

Photo: CDOT

Linda Juliana: The Army Corp wanted to put up a military bridge that would've only taken 2 weeks at most. But CDOT wanted to do it themselves. $$$$$ over the needs of people. Infuriating. 😡People need to be vocal about this ridiculous decision.

[Looking at the photo, it doesn't appear that the pier collapsed. Instead, the approach was washed out. That could be fixed with a bunch of #6 rock dumped into the hole. Doesn't one of the nearby mountains have a quarry?]

This is the upstream side of the bridge. So a lot of land was covered by water. That is, this area did have a floodplain.

Street View, Aug 2026

Accessed Nov 10, 2026: Everyone of the red dots has a popup indicating that the road is closed to Nov 12. So someone must have taught "CDOT Regional Director Julie Constan" how to do an emergency repair of a bridge befor the end of 2026.

Satellite

I've seen several posts of the above CDOT photo, but this is the first time I have seen a clue as to the location of the bridge.

World weather

🚨 FLOOD-DAMAGED BRIDGE FORCES MAJOR ROUTE CHANGES IN SOUTHWEST COLORADO

A damaged bridge over the Piedra River is disrupting travel along US 160, leaving motorists facing significant detours between Pagosa Springs and Durango.

Floodwaters washed out critical bridge supports, forcing a full closure as transportation crews prepare for major reconstruction. CDOT is urging drivers and commercial truck operators to plan ahead, with alternate routes adding substantial travel time.

The damage could affect regional travel for an extended period.

[The pier supports may have been damaged, but the photo shows that the pier was not washed out. It was the approach embankment that was washed out.]

1965 US-2 Bridge and 1922 4mw Hydroelectric Project on Moyie River at Moyie Springs, ID

Bridge: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Dam: (Satellite)

Falls: (Satellite)

Power Houses: (Satellite)

The Moyie River originates in Canada and flows into the Kootenay River, which flows into the Columbia River.

Street View, Sep 2025

Street View, Aug 2025

Paul De Wolf, Jun 2021

The continuous truss has a main span of 378' (115.2m). [HistoricBridges]

Donna Browne posted
This is the Moyie River Canyon Bridge in North Idaho. This is a steel truss cantilever bridge that is approximately 465 ft high. It opened in 1965 replacing and older bridge from 1923

Chad Marang commented on Danna's post

Scott n Paige, Sep 2025

Paul De Wolf, Jun 2021

Paul De Wolf, Jun 2021

Most photos showed water flowing over the dam. Here is one where all of the water is being diverted to the penstocks to the powerhouses.

Chad Graham, Jul 2023

The falls:

Erik Michaels, Jul 2022

I presume these are the powerhouses.

It has 4 units which generate just 4mw total. [HydroReform]

Satellite

Eileen Dam is upstream.

CrowMike, Oct 2026

Note that it is old enough to use a horizontal shaft because the thrust bearing had yet to take over.

Jesse Morre, Oct 2019

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1932 Owyhee Dam on Owyhee River near Nyssa, OR, was highest dam when built

(HAER; Satellite)

HAER ORE,23-NYS.V,1--6
6. DAM AFTERBAY, WITH OWYHEE RIVER IN FOREGROUND, SHOWING OUTLET TUNNEL PORTAL (LEFT) AND POWERHOUSE AND ENTRANCE PORTAL TO DAM INTERIOR (RIGHT). NOTE RELEASE OF WATER FROM NEEDLE VALVE NUMBER 2 IN VALVEHOUSE ON DAM. VIEW TO SOUTHEAST. - Owyhee Dam, Across Owyhee River, Nyssa, Malheur County, OR

"Significance: Owyhee Dam is a 417-foat-high, concrete thick-arch dam (or arch/gravity dam). At its completion in 1932, Owyhee was the tallest dam in the world, a short-lived distinction because it was superceded in 1936 with the completion of 726-foot high Hoover Dam. Owyhee Dam has engineering significance as the proving ground for construction techniques developed by Bureau of Reclamation engineers for use at Hoover Dam. Tests conducted on the cooling and shrinking of mass concrete as it cured at Owyhee Dam helped assure Bureau engineers that their techniques would work at Hoover Dam. Historic apparatus for monitoring those tests is still in place on the interior of Owyhee Dam. Owyhee also has engineering significance for its ancillary features. The ring gate on the Owyhee Dam spillway was the first ever built. It was the first dam in which a freight elevator was installed. The needle valves in the outlet works for Owyhee Dam, which make it possible to regulate the discharge of water under very high pressure, represent a late stage in the evolution of such valves by the Bureau of Reclamation. Upon its completion, Owyhee Dam began storing water for use by farmers on the Owyhee Project, one of the most important in the development of irrigated agriculture in Oregon." [HAER_data]

HAER ORE,23-NYS.V,1--33
33. DETAIL OF STEEL RING AND MORNING GLORY SPILLWAY FOR OUTLET TUNNEL. VIEW TO SOUTHWEST.

Underestimated Arsenal posted [This post has a long description.]

Both US-20 and US-30 are close to this dam.

Satellite

1879,2004 Trail/57th Street and 1907 Pere Marquette Bridges over Kalamazoo River at New Richmond, MI

1879: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

1907: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

This PM route is still owned by CSX.

This is how I learned that the 57th Street Bridge is now a pedestrian bridge.

Street View, Jul 2025

Jennifer Woodman posted 13 photos and a video with the comment: "New Richmond Bridge Park has two bridges side by side over the Kalamazoo River. The swing bridge, also called the 57th Street Bridge, was built in 1879. It's a 422-foot [128.6m] Warren pony truss with four main spans, eight approach spans, and an 89-foot [27m] swing span. It's one of the oldest swing bridges in the country and the longest pony truss in Michigan. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored in 2004. Next to it, a 1907 railroad bridge built by the American Bridge Company runs 435 feet [132.6m] as a metal deck girder with six main spans. It was also built to swing, and the extra pier and old swing gears under the bridge are the only evidence left. It is now owned and actively operated by CSX."

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Jennifer Younk, Jan 2023

The pier for the swing span is not in the middle of the span so this would be a bobtail bridge.

HistoricBridges_1907

Photo by Jim Thias via HistoricBridges_1907
"Photo of surviving swing span gears."

HistoricBridges_1879
"This nationally significant bridge is one of the top historic bridges in Michigan. Multi-span pony truss bridges are uncommon, and this four-span structure is the longest remaining pony truss in Michigan. Pin-connected Warren truss bridges like this bridge are very rare both in Michigan and nationwide. The 1879 construction date makes this one of the oldest truss bridges in Michigan. Additionally, pre-1880 metal bridges are extremely rare nationwide. Each surviving example should be considered to have a high level of historic significance due to their rarity and also the fact that bridges from this period show a lack of standardization and reveal the early development of metal bridge construction in the country. The early date of construction is evident in the unusual design of the built-up members and chords on the bridge, which are unlike the standards found in most truss bridges of the 1880s and 1890s. In particular, built-up diagonal members are an unusual design with a corrugated lacing (called ribbon lacing in some sources). In addition, the outriggers have star iron, a unique type of rolled structural iron that was common in the 1870s but not after."
Even though the Kalamazoo River is no longer navigable, the restoration included the mechanics for manually operating the swing span. "An opening ceremony took place in which the bridge was opened and closed."
[Nathan gives this bridge two 10 of 10 ratings, his highest.]

That is a massive swing pier.

2011 photo by C Hanchey via BridgeHunter_1979