Metropolis Bridge - Metropolis IL
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nomadwillie
N 37° 08.753 W 088° 44.470
16S E 345367 N 4112474
The Metropolis Bridge is the longest pin-connected simple through truss span in the world.
Waymark Code: WMGJ4N
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 03/11/2013
Views: 3
The Metropolis Bridge is a railroad bridge which spans the Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois. Originally built for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, construction began in 1914 under the direction of engineer Ralph Modjeski.
The bridge consists of the following: (from north to south)
Deck plate-girder approach spans
One riveted, 9-panel Parker through truss
Five pin-connected, Pennsylvania through trusses
One pin-connected, 8-panel Pratt deck truss
Deck plate-girder approach spans
Total length of the bridge is 6,424 feet (1,958 m). The largest span stretches 708 feet (216 m), and remains the longest pin-connected simple through truss span in the world. Cost of the bridge when built was $4,000,000. (USD)
Not long after completion in 1917, ownership of the bridge was passed on to the Paducah and Illinois Railroad, a newly formed railroad jointly owned by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. In 1925, the Illinois Central Railroad purchased a 1/3 share of the Paducah and Illinois Railroad, and assumed operations and maintenance, as the bridge served as an important link in their newly completed Edgewood-Fulton Cutoff route.
As of 2009, the bridge is operated by the Canadian National Railway and still owned by the Paducah and Illinois Railroad, where it continues to see heavy use.
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