1872+1887+1916 UP Bridges over Missouri River at Omaha, NE

1872: (no Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1887: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1916: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

1872:

BridgeHunter_1872

1887:

BridgeHunter_1887

1916:

Street View, Jun 2021

The UP Big Boy crossing the bridge in 2026 taught me that I had yet to write notes for this significant bridge.

Facebook Reel

The two short trusses at the end indicate that this photo was taken from the Iowa side. This catches 3 of the 4 long spans.

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1916

I wonder how often they have to remove debris from the top of the trail protector.

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1916

John uploaded a lot of detailed shots on BridgeHunter_1916. I note these photos because they clearly show that the design is a transition between pin-connected and riveted gusset plates.

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1916

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1916

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1916

1956/68 Omaha North and South Quads @ 24,000

After crossing the bridge, the Big Boy train soon turned North to take the former-C&NW route to Chicago.

UP_tracker

Original (1913-28) Lincoln Highway (US-30) and UP Bridges over Prairie Creek near Gardiner, NE

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Lincoln Highway Overview

Brian Butko posted
If you're following the Lincoln Highway through Nebraska, be sure to get off US 30 between Duncan and SIlver Creek to travel a stretch of gravel LH that includes this iron truss bridge across Prairie Creek.

David Sellman commented on Brian's post
My wife and I drove over this bridge on June 7 of last year [2025].

David Sellman commented on his comment

Don Olson, Oct 2020

Wikipedia, Public Domain
"Section of Lincoln Highway in southwestern Platte County, Nebraska; looking northeastward across the Prairie Creek bridge. This is part of a 1.2-mile (2.0 km) section of the highway that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places under the name Lincoln Highway-Gardiner Station. The sloping-topped brick structure at left is a Nebraska state historical marker."

2013 photo by Roger Deschner via BridgeHunter

In 2019, UP replaced the railroad bridge that is in the background of Brian's photo at the top of these notes. We can see the top of the truss in the right side of this view.

Street View, Jul 2019

The replacement bridge. It looks like modern steel girders can be more shallow. Or did they use more piers?

Street View, Sep 2025

UP Bridge over Salt Creek in Lincoln, NE. collapsed because of a fire

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

2:24 video @ 0:50
Railroad bridge collapses after fire
The bridge collapsed after burning for just a couple of hours.
The line saw about one train a week.

John Cockle posted two photos with the comment:

Big time bummer: a fire has destroyed the western trestle approach to a UPRR bridge spanning Salt Creek in the heart of Lincoln, NE.  The damage to the trestle section was severe enough to cause one end of the truss bridge to collapse into the creek.  This bridge was actively use by UPRR and they will have to negotiate with BNSF for an alternative.  

I believe this is/was a lattice-type truss bridge. Can anyone confirm that understanding? Second photo is by Gary Binder from the Nebraska Railroads FB page.

Dennis DeBruler: This is Nathan Holth's comment on Bridge Hunter: "it's not a Whipple... it's an extremely rare variation of the lattice truss, the Triple Intersection Warren. Most lattice trusses are Quadruple Intersection Warrens (sometimes called quadrangular). A very nice and highly significant historic bridge." https://web.archive.org/web/20210620010517/https://bridgehunter.com/ne/lancaster/up-salt-creek/

1

2

"Built 1899, Moved here 1921" The bridge is 230' (70m) long, and the span is 100' (30m). [BridgeHunter]

Trail View, Feb 2023

It looks like Salt Creek has levees.

2015 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter

When I think of Lincoln, NE, I think of CB&Q. And, indeed, it had six spokes into this town. UP and RI had routes through this town, and C&NW and MoPac had routes that terminated in this town. Today, only the CB&Q and UP routes are still used. I see that US-6 and US-34 also go through this town. The "bridge to nowhere" that is north of the UP bridge used to connect to MoPac.

1964/66 Lincoln Quad @ 24,000

This is a view of the UP bridge from the abandoned MoPac connection.

Milton McNeeLee, May 2017

1954,1970,1987 Lake Houston Dam and UP Bridge on San Jacinto River in Houston, TX

Dam: (Satellite)

Bridge: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

CoastalWaterAuthority

twdb
The spillway is 3,160 (963m) long, and the two earth embankments have a total length of 8,600 (2.6km). Between the spillway and the eastern embankment there is two radial gates.

n, Jul 2017

They plan to improve the spillway between 2028 and 2030 with a budget of $160m. [EngageHouston]

stantec
"Built in 1954, Lake Houston Dam is the only source of surface drinking water for over two million Houston, Texas residents."
[I could not find a date for the "elegant engineering solution."]

ReduceFlooding
"CWA is planning to add eleven new radial gates to the dam for an additional 79,000 cubic feet per second of controlled discharge capacity."

The additional gates will allow them to draw down the lake level faster in anticipation of a major storm. They are also working on long term plans to replace the dam. [ReduceFlooding_Apr_2025]

CommunityImpact
The plan is "to add 11 gates to the spillway dam's existing four-gate structure." [However, only two of the holes in the existing structure actually have gates.]

This is the post that motivated these notes.

Union Pacific Railroad posted

This month’s calendar photo features UP 8393 leading a manifest train across Lake Houston, Texas.

📸 Photo by Stephen Foyt.

Patrick Feller Flickr, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

Railroad Bridge over Lake Houston, Texas 1104091512BW

I had to be on the other side of the lake to check a project. A friend on that side has kayaks and we went out on the lake and headed toward the railroad bridge.

1913 11th and 15th Street Bridges over Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, WA

1913 11th: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; HAER; Satellite)

1914 NP 15th: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite, bridge has been removed.)

1914 UP 15th: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite, bridge has been removed.)

1913 11th Street (Murray Morgan) Bridge

"Opened Feb. 15, 1913; rehabilitated 1957; closed 2007; rehabilitated 2012-3" [BridgeHunter_11th]

LC-DIG-highsm-50780, Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, cropped

"Significance: The City Waterway Bridge is an early example of a vertical lift bridge, designed by the renowned firm of Waddell and Harrington. Three features made it remarkable, if not unique among vertical lift bridges of the day: the unusually great height of the deck above the water; the employment of an overhead span designed for carrying a water pipe, and the fact it was built on a grade." [HAER_data]

HAER WASH,27-TACO,9-

HAER WASH,27-TACO,9-
7. MACHINERY ROOM LOOKING NORTH WEST BY 270 DEGREES - City Waterway Bridge, Spanning City Waterway at State Route 509, Tacoma, Pierce County, WA Photos from Survey HAER WA-100

PAN US GEOG - Washington no. 51, c1919
Tacoma tide flats from Tacoma Bldg. digital file from intermediary roll film copy

15th Street Bridges

There were two bridges named 15th Street, and some of the sources confuse the two. The bridge in the foreground carried just the NP. The bridge behind it carried the UP and 15th Street Bridge.

Digitally Zoomed from above panoramic photo

This topo map also provides an overview of the two bridges.

1961/62 Tacoma North and South Quads @ 24,000

Note that each lane of 15th Street was cantilevered on the outside of the railroad span.

May 18, 1957 @ 20,000; ARA550460010152

.

1914-1973 NP 15th Street Bridge

NP's first bridge here was built in 1892. [BridgeHunterIndex] It was replaced by this 1914 bridge.

The 1914 bridge was abandoned in 1973 "due to damage from an erroneously routed Boeing load, likely removed shortly thereafter."

 HABS WASH,27-TACO,6--50
50. 15th Street Swing Bridge (1914). Built by the American Bridge Company. - Union Depot Area Study, Tacoma, Pierce County, WA

A colorized version of the above photo.

Western Washington History - Now in Color posted
Built in 1914, Swing Bridge, 15th St, Tacoma

Mike Stella: Grew up in Tacoma. That is NOT the 15th St. swing bridge. That is not even Tacoma. Pretty lousy post!

Dennis DeBruler commented on Mike's comment
The post is correct, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/wa0170.photos.168826p/. It was the NP Bridge. The UP+Road bridge was just south of this one.

.

1914-1983 UP+road 15th Street Bridge

BridgeHunter_191_ UP_15th

Three UP Bridges over Mojave River in Afton Canyon

West: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Middle: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

East: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

All of the length information comes from the appropriate Archived Bridge Hunter webpages.

West

You don't have to worry about vegetation blocking your view in this area.

Street View, Jan 2024

Length of largest span: 178.0 ft.

Total length: 380.0 ft.

Middle

Street View, Jan 2024

Apr 2010 Photo by Craig Philpott via ArchivedBridgeHunter_middle

Length of largest span: 184.0 ft.

Total length: 328.0 ft.

East

Paul Jansson posted
Union Pacific's truss bridge over the Mojave River near the east end of Afton Canyon, just a few hundred yards west of W. Basin siding.  9/29/2012

Paul Jansson posted
Steel truss bridge at the Mojave River crossing just east of Afton Canyon along Union Pacific's original LA&SL route.  Whatever water flows through here is generally underground.  The bridge is at MP 196.12.   9/29/2012

John Kosiba commented on Paul's post
Was just there with my buddy a few weeks ago [Feb 2026].

Street View, Jan 2024

Length of largest span: 178.0 ft.

Total length: 370.0 ft.