1956 IL-141+IN-62 Wabash Memorial Toll Bridge over Wabash River west of Mt. Vernon, IN

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

Indiana built the bridge and charged tolls until July 1, 2014. [ArchivedBridgeHunter comments and indot]

The 2,400' (731.5m) long bridge has a main span of 427' (130.1m). [HistoricBridges]

It is so nice to see a steel bridge with a fresh coat of paint.

Street View, Sep 2025

John Albert Christeson Jr. posted
Bridge over The Wabash River on Illinois 141/Indiana 62

HistoricBridges and BridgeHunter, The Decatur Daily Review: October 2 1955
HistoricBridges explains that the design is a tied arch with a continuous truss.

This is where the arch part of the truss launches from a pier.

Street View, Sep 2025

Another view of the arch part.

Street View, Sep 2025

The Illinois approach is long because of a flood plain.

Street View, Sep 2015

But the Indiana approach is even longer.

Street View, Apr 2018

This is a view of the entire bridge. I dropped a pin to mark the west end. I could still see the east end after zooming out far enough to include the whole bridge because of the shadow on a field

Satellite

US-31 and Trail/Nickel Plate Bridges over Wabash River at Peru, IN

US-31: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

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

Looking East at the railroad bridge from the road bridge.

Street View, Oct 2025

Fred Meuter posted two photos with the comment: "Two bridges spanning the mighty Wabash River near Peru, Indiana. The blue bridge is the Peru Steel Truss Bridge and the second bridge is the New Nickel Plate Bridge, which is part of the trail of the same name. I believe that this was originally a railroad bridge that was converted for walk and bike riding."

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[Fred caught the river at a higher level than the street view.]

2

The 610' (186m) long road bridge has spans of 200' (61m). "This is an impressive and attractive example of a state-designed highway truss bridge. It retains good historic integrity. It supposedly is listed as a Select Bridge under the Indiana Historic Bridge Management Plan, which would make it one of the few state-designed bridges with the beautiful arched portal and sway bracing design to be designated for preservation." [HistoricBridges_US-31]

"Built 1939; rehabilitated 1988. Rehabilitated 2019. Former US 31, also know as the Blue Star Highway with plaque at Southwest corner at road intersection" [BridgeHunter_US-31]

Street View, Oct 2025

The 587' (179m) long railroad bridge has spans of 135' (41m). [HistoricBridges]

"This former "Peru and Indianapolis" railroad line was one of the first in Indiana connecting Indianapolis to Peru via Noblesville, Tipton, and Kokomo for a connection with the Wabash and Erie Canal which lay just past the North side of this bridge. Later another rail line was constructed from Michigan City to Peru via Plymouth and Rochester and both lines were merged to form one continuous connection. Later acquired by the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, and later Nickel Plate Road, it was called the IMC division. IMC=Indy to Michigan City. Norfolk and Western later acquired Nickel Plate, and later became Norfolk Southern. In 1989, line was leased to Central Railroad of Indianapolis (CERA), a division of Railtex, and was used little. After CERA and Railtex was bought out by another parent company named Railamerica, Norfolk Southern took back the line and never used it again. It was abandoned in 1999, but Railbanked. Railbanking assures the right of way is left intact in case future transportation needs require it to be reactivated. Sometimes utilities can also use the right of way via the Railbanking clause. The Indiana Trails Fund immediately took possesion of the line form Rochester to Cassville(just North of Kokomo)via a Surface Transportation Board ruling after abandonment was granted and are building the Nickel Plate Trail along this line which includes this bridge. Part of the trail is finished in different areas, but this bridge requires extra safety requirements to protect trail users that have not been completed as of 2009. Bridge is easily viewed from the OLD US 31 Through Truss bridge which is just downstream from the Nickel Plate bridge." [James Norwood via ArchivedBridgeHunter_NKP]

Kevin McNally, Sep 2022

Note the railroad bridge on the right side.

Postcard via BridgeHunter_US-31

HistoricBridges_NKP

Compare the river level in this photo to that in the street view at the top of these notes.

Jordan Baer, Apr 2024

2020 photo by David Case via BridgeHunter_NKP

Jordan Baer, Apr 2024

Dan Mongosa, Oct 2020

1932,1992 US-50 Lincoln Memorial Bridge over Wabash River at Vincennes, IN

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

HistoricBridges
This 1,020' (311m) long bridge has a main span of 180' (55m).
This is the site "where Abraham Lincoln crossed on a ferry to enter Illinois for the first time in his life."

Danny Wilson posted
THIS IS A COOL PHOTO FROM AROUND 1932. IT SHOWS THE OLD MAIN STREET BRIDGE NEXT TO THE NEW MEMORIAL BRIDGE. THERE WAS A BRIEF TIME (12 DAYS) IN 1932 WHEN BOTH BRIDGES WERE OPEN AT THE SAME TIME.

This bridge is considered part of the George Rogers Clark Memorial Park.

Street View, Sep 2023

This shows how the bridge is close to the memorial.

Scanned by Robert Stephenson via BridgeHunter

Postcard via BridgeHunter

Indiana History posted
Few of the many drivers crossing the Memorial Bridge know the importance of the crossing for Vincennes, IN and history itself. Made of reinforced concrete and spanning the Wabash River between Illinois and Indiana, the Memorial Bridge (often called the Lincoln Memorial Bridge) is the site of an old Buffalo Trace that crisscrossed the old Northwest Territory and one of the lower spots of the river. This important crossing zone saw people from many nations traveling through the area. One such user of the ferry setup where the bridge now stands was Abraham Lincoln and family who crossed in 1830 on their way to Illinois. The Bridge opened to traffic on July 14, 1932. Today it hosts its own travelers, from local farmers to park visitors, keeping alive the memory of the old Buffalo Trace that once made the area a great place for a settlement and a fort. [The comments have some more photos of the bridge.]

Postcard with a 1940 view via BridgeHunter

Sources make a big deal about the Art Déco pylons on the Indiana side. They are still standing in a Oct 2022 view, but they are gone in a Sep 2023 view. Also the concrete railings on this side of the pylons have been replaced by chain-link fences.

Street View, Nov 2018

After seeing the 1940 stairway access to the memorial parkin the above postcard, I checked some more views.

Street View, Oct 2022

I hope this means that they are doing rehabilitation work and that the pylons will be restored.

Street View, Sep 2023

The bridge is long. There are not too many photos that capture most of the spans. We can see the CSX/B&O Bridge under one of the spans.

2010 photo by Robert Stephenson via BridgeHunter

Andrew was also able to catch most of the bridge.

2012 photo by Andrew Raker via BridgeHunter

This was posted on Sep 22, 2025, so it looks like the pylons have been restored.

Shiraboni Khatun posted

Few of the many drivers crossing the Memorial Bridge know the importance of the crossing for Vincennes, IN and history itself. Made of reinforced concrete and spanning the Wabash River between Illinois and Indiana, the Memorial Bridge (often called the Lincoln Memorial Bridge) is the site of an old Buffalo Trace that crisscrossed the old Northwest Territory and one of the lower spots of the river.  This important crossing zone saw people from many nations traveling through the area.  One such user of the ferry setup where the bridge now stands was Abraham Lincoln and family who crossed in 1830 on their way to Illinois. 

The Bridge opened to traffic on July 14, 1932. Today it hosts its own travelers, from local farmers to park visitors, keeping alive the memory of the old Buffalo Trace that once made the area a great place for a settlement and a fort.

1949 US-36 Bridge over Wabash river at Montezuma, IN

1852: (Archived Bridge Hunter)

1949: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Darel Maden posted
US 36 at the Wabash River indiana

Jeff Shroyer: This is one of the great through truss bridges in the Midwest USA. 1257’ 6 span 54 panel riveted Parker truss built on US 36 in 1949, at Montezuma, IN. Significantly rehabbed in 2021.

Darel Maden posted again with a similar comment

Note how over half of the bridge goes over a flood plain instead of the channel.

Satellite

 

As noted above, these three spans are just half the spans that are in this bridge. But they could build the other piers on dry land.

Trevor Whited, Apr 2020

After the 2021 paint job.

Street View, May 2023

The westernmost span of the 1852 bridge collapsed in Jan 1941. The bridge was repaired, but it was bypassed in 1949 and removed in 1951. The spans are 200' (61m). [HistoricBridges and BridgeHunter_1852]

HistoricBridges

CSX/C&EI Bridge over Wabash River at Clinton, IN

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

The depot and freight house in Clinton has been preserved.

2013 Photo by Brent Tindall via BridgeHunter, License: Released into public domain

2013 Photo by Brent Tindall via BridgeHunter, License: Released into public domain

It looks like the Wabash was running high in the Summer of 2018.

Street View, Jun 2018

Since there were five street view photos from the bridge, I checked the other four. They all had lower river levels than the Jun 2018 photo. This is one of the lower ones.

Street View, Oct 2008

I lucked out in that the street view camera took a photo just as it got to the tracks so I can see between trees.

Street View, Jul 2013

R David Meyer posted two photos with the comment: "CSX (C&EI) bridge across the Wabash River, Clinton, Indiana."

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Robert Gibson Jr. commented on David's post
I took this photo looking east through the Clinton bridge in August 1981

csxthsociety

A satellite image reminded me that the Wabash can have some serious flood plains. The bridge that we can see over the main channel is less than half of the total length of the bridge.

Satellite

1935-1996 US-421+IN-39 Bridge over Wabash River at Delphi, IN

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, it was replaced by a UCEB in 1996)

Photo taken in 1935 (courtesy of Carroll County Historical Museum) via BridgeHunter

Photo taken ca. 1936 (courtesy of Carroll County Historical Museum) via BridgeHunter
[It looks like some sort of load test or publicity photo with all of the cars closely packed on it.]

Bridges Now and Then posted
The Wabash River Bridge, State Road 39. Delphi, Indiana, 1935. (Granville C. Thompson-Perdue University)
Tn T Gorgia: Nice falsework for the arch barrel.
Theron Stratton: A lot of skilled manual labor went into any concrete arch bridge. When labor started becoming higher priced than steel or precast, we lost the arches.

Bridges Now and Then posted
Construction on the Wabash River Bridge at Delphi, Indiana, September, 1935. (Purdue University)

Theron Stratton commented on his comment
I did actually build one in Des Moines IA in 2005. Sort of a monumental bridge and needless to say, the falsework looked nothing like this.