Metropolis Bridge

Metropolis Bridge
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad crossing of the Ohio River at Metropolis, Illinois -- now operated by the Canadian National Railway.
Coordinates	37°08′41″N 88°44′31″W / 37.14461°N 88.74204°W / 37.14461; -88.74204Coordinates: 37°08′41″N 88°44′31″W / 37.14461°N 88.74204°W / 37.14461; -88.74204
Carries	Single track of Paducah & Illinois Railroad (jointly owned by Canadian National Railway, BNSF Railway and Paducah & Louisville Railway)
Crosses	Ohio River
Locale	Metropolis, Illinois and McCracken County, Kentucky
Maintained by	Canadian National Railway (Operations) BNSF Railway (Maintenance)
Characteristics
Design	Simple truss bridge, with plate-girder approaches
Total length	6,424 ft (1,958 m) (including approaches)
Longest span	708 ft (216 m)
History
Opened	1917
Statistics
Daily traffic	Approximately 15 freight trains per day

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 2013, the bridge is still owned by the Paducah and Illinois Railroad, with operations managed by the Canadian National Railway and bridge maintenance/inspection managed by BNSF Railway, where it continues to see heavy use.

References

Cook, Richard J. (1987). The Beauty of Railroad Bridges in North America -- Then and Now. Golden West Books, California (USA). ISBN 0-87095-097-5.

External links

Historic Bridges of the United States

Bridges of the Ohio River

Upstream
Interstate 24 Bridge

Metropolis Bridge
Canadian National Railway

Downstream
Cairo Rail Bridge
Canadian National Railway

History of Railroads in Kentucky

Companies	Frankfort and Cincinnati Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad

Individuals	Basil W. Duke

Museums	Big South Fork Scenic Railway Bluegrass Railroad and Museum Elkhorn City Railroad Museum Historic Railpark and Train Museum Kentucky Railway Museum Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati

Stations	Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad Office Ashland Coal and Iron Railroad Store Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Passenger and Baggage Depots Henderson, Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot Hopkinsville L & N Railroad Depot Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight Depot Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot Louisville and Nashville Railroad Passenger Depot Louisville, Henderson, and St. Louis Railroad Depot Old L & N Station Paris Railroad Depot Shelbyville L & N Railroad Depot Stanford L&N Railroad Depot Union Station (Louisville) Union Station (Owensboro)

Vehicles	Frankfort and Cincinnati Model 55 Rail Car L & N Steam Locomotive No. 152 Louisville and Nashville Combine Car Number 665 Mt. Broderick Pullman Car

Bridges	Barren River L & N Railroad Bridge Big Four Bridge Cairo Rail Bridge C&O Railroad Bridge Cincinnati Southern Bridge Fourteenth Street Bridge (Ohio River) Henderson Bridge (Ohio River) High Bridge of Kentucky Kentucky & Indiana Terminal Bridge Metropolis Bridge Newport Southbank Bridge Sciotoville Bridge Young's High Bridge

Other	Cincinnati Southern Railroad Culvert--CSRR Lexington Extension of the Louisville Southern Railroad Louisville and Nashville Railroad Office Building Mitchellsburg Louisville and Nashville Railroad Culvert Russell Railroad YMCA Tank Pond Railroad Underpass

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