Cascade Bridge, Road bridge in Burlington, United States.
Cascade Bridge is a 464-foot (141 m) Baltimore deck truss road bridge on Main Street in Burlington, Iowa, with Pratt deck trusses at both ends. Its 160-foot (49 m) main span rests on stone and concrete abutments and a single concrete-filled steel cylinder pier.
The bridge was approved by the city in 1896 and designed by a Cedar Rapids engineering firm, then built by manufacturers from Milwaukee. Over time, parts of the structure were replaced and reinforced, but its original framework remained intact.
The bridge is named for Cascade Ravine, the gorge it crosses on Main Street; the Cascade Lumber Company, which petitioned for the span, also carried that name. The Baltimore deck truss with Pratt deck trusses at both ends can be read from the street and ravine sides, though barricades now keep people off the deck.
The bridge carries Main Street over Cascade Ravine and has been closed to vehicles since 2008; pedestrian and bicycle access is also barred, so it cannot be crossed. To see the trusses and the single concrete-filled steel cylinder pier, view the span from Main Street at either end of the ravine.
The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, recognizing its importance to engineering history of the late 19th century. This acknowledgment reflects how the design methods used here represent a key moment in bridge-building techniques of that era.
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