Kate Shelley High Bridge

The Kate Shelley High Bridge is the highest double-track railroad bridge in the United States. It is located approximately 3 miles west of the city of Boone, Iowa.

The bridge was designed by George S. Morison for the Chicago and North Western Railway and was constructed from 1899 to 1901. It stands 185 ft above the Des Moines River with a length of 2,685 ft. The bridge was renamed in 1912 to honor Kate Shelley.

New Bridge

The original double track bridge is aging and trains are subject to a slow order, reducing speeds to 25 mph while crossing it. Union Pacific Railroad, current owners of the Chicago and North Western Railway property, is constructing a new double track concrete bridge scheduled to open December 2008. The bridge is located on an essential east/west Union Pacific mainline--the Overland Route [ [http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/graphics/upcomnam2.gifUPRR Common Line Names] ] --connecting Chicago to the west coast, [ [http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/usguide/ia.shtml Union Pacific Connections & Commodoties - Iowa] ] and it was more cost effective to build a new bridge capable of higher speeds.Fact|date=October 2008 The current bridge and its name will remain, although the rails will be removed.

The new structure is slated to be slightly smaller than the existing bridge, at 180 ft high and 2,550 ft long. [ [http://hdrinc.com/Assets/documents/Publications/RailLine/june2007/KateShelley.pdf The Story of UPRR's Kate Shelley Bridge] ]

External links

* [http://www.arema.org/eseries/scriptcontent/custom/e_arema/library/2003_Conference_Proceedings/0048.pdf AREMA - Rehabilitation of the Historic Kate Shelley High Bridge]
* [http://publications.iowa.gov/archive/00004608/01/Railroad_Ties_January%202007_print.pdf Article in Railroad Ties, 20 Jan 2007]

References