116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Time Machine: Cedar Rapids’ longest viaduct
16th Avenue bridge added sidewalk, a ‘twin’ span
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Construction began in 1937 on what was to be the largest viaduct in Cedar Rapids. The Gazette ran a couple of photos showing pile drivers at work on either side of the railroad tracks at 16th Avenue SW.
The state Highway Commission rerouted Highway 30 that year from west of the city onto 16th Avenue, south and east to the west end of the avenue and then east to First Street SW. The routing necessitated the viaduct over the railroad tracks.
In addition, the commission said, “It is our purpose to construct a bridge over the Cedar River” at Eighth Avenue as soon as funds were available.
The Iowa Highway Commission received bids Nov. 9, 1936, to pave the 625-foot viaduct that would span the tracks owned by the North Western, the Milwaukee and the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (CRANDIC) railways.
Stark Building Co. used a steam-powered pile driver to drive 45-foot pilings through the quicksand and into the soil. Mossman Construction Co. of Kansas City was the general contractor.
Railroad companies don't stop crack passenger trains under new viaducts for the benefit of newspaper photographers, but Vern Thompson, Gazette cameraman, did a first-class job of stopping the westbound North Western Pacific Limited under the new viaduct at 16th Avenue SW in this July 1937 photo. The viaduct was one of the longest highway viaducts to be constructed in Iowa by the Highway Commission. The structure of reinforced concrete and steel was the first step in a five-year program of highway construction in Cedar Rapids and Linn County. (Gazette archives)
Work continued in October 1957 on construction of a $33,400 walkway on the 16th Avenue viaduct in Cedar Rapids. The sidewalk was planned for protection of pedestrians on the bridge, especially students at the new Jefferson High School, which opened for the second semester of the 1957-1958 school year. Contractor was Oliphant Construction Co. of Toddville. (Gazette archives)
The widening of the 16th Avenue SW viaduct between 12th Street and 18th Street SW was approved by the Iowa Department of Transportation March 15, 1982, and was scheduled to begin in the fall. (Gazette archives)
A Nov. 7, 1984, view looking east at the new 15th-16th Avenue viaducts. The four-lane viaducts and related work cost an estimated $5 million, including $3.5 million in state funds. (Gazette archives)
Adding a sidewalk
The two-lane viaduct served its purpose well until 1957, when the new Thomas Jefferson High School was built west of the viaduct at 1243 20th St. SW. In order for students to safely cross, Cedar Rapids school officials requested that a sidewalk be added to the structure. The 30-ton steel crossing cost was estimated to cost $25,000 to $30,000.
Public Improvements Commissioner Swede Halvorson said the sidewalk would have cost a lot less had it been added at the time of the original construction.
Oliphant Engineering Co. of Toddville contracted to build the sidewalk addition for $33,337, with work starting on July 8, 1957. The Iowa Highway Commission handled the design, bidding, and supervision, while the city paid construction costs.
“A walkway over the Highway 30 bridge across several tracks was deemed necessary mostly for the use of students who will go to Thomas Jefferson High School starting next fall,” The Gazette said.
The walkway was nearing completion in mid-October in time for Jefferson’s second-semester opening date.
Adding, renovating
The viaduct was due for replacement in 1975. The City Council decided to reduce costs by adding another two-lane viaduct alongside the original structure and refurbishing the 38-year-old span that was already there, making the viaduct four lanes.
“Besides providing the one-way capability, the plan would permit traffic to use Sixteenth Avenue during construction of the new viaduct and eliminate the need for a lengthy detour,” The Gazette reported.
The new viaduct was still under discussion in 1982. This time, the plan had expanded to include rights-of-way. The total cost was estimated at $3.1 million.
The city hoped three-quarters of the cost would be covered by federal funds, with the rest coming out of local coffers.
When finished, the new two-lane bridge north of the existing one would handle traffic while the deck of the existing bridge was replaced and its supports fortified. City Engineer Dick Ransom said the finished viaduct would look like one structure with a median-barricade.
Meanwhile, the Highway 30 bypass was built and opened, meaning the old highway route reverted to just 16th Avenue SW in 1981.
“The change was projected to reduce the daily traffic count from 16,500 vehicles in 1980 to about 10,600 (by 1982). But Ransom said the traffic count is still about 15,000 vehicles per day across the viaduct,” The Gazette said. Traffic counts were not expected to change much until 1995.
Construction on the new two lanes of viaduct began in the fall of 1982.
One-ways in 1984
It was days away from completion on Nov. 7, 1984, when Gazette reporter Dave Rasdal wrote, “The viaduct and other related projects have taken two years to build at a cost near $5 million. The state’s share was about $3.5 million, while the city paid the rest for right of way acquisition, drainage work, grading and paving portions of the road.”
The new viaduct immediately north of the original was designated 15th Avenue. Traffic was routed onto it while the old viaduct (still 16th Avenue) was rebuilt.
The finished project changed 15th Avenue and 16th Avenue to one-way streets flowing in opposite directions. The 15th Avenue route included a new diagonal from 12th Street SW to the viaduct.
When the viaduct project was completed in November 1984, motorists noticed the new viaduct was a little higher than the old one. IDOT District Engineer Robert Henely of Cedar Rapids explained that a change in regulations required the new viaduct construction be 4 feet higher. Because the old viaduct was only being rebuilt, it could remain at its original height.
The Gazette published a map Nov. 14, 1984, to show readers the new routes associated with the opening of the new 15th and 16th Avenue viaducts.
Both spans still accommodate traffic today.
Comments: D.fannonlangton@gmail.com
Daily Newsletters