Skip to main content

The Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails

By


The Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails are presently located at the eastbound truck parking area near Mile Marker 6 of Interstate 80 in Washoe County, Nevada.  These bridge rails were part of the Mogul Road culvert which was completed in 1914 as part of the Northern Branch of the Lincoln Highway.  The railings were intended to be a common feature of the Lincoln Highway but ultimately were only installed at one other location in Tama, Iowa.  During 1926 US Route 40 would be carried for a time through the Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails.  The bridge rails were abandoned during a realignment of US Route 40 during the 1930s but were ultimately salved during the construction of Interstate 80 in 1970. 




Part 1; the history of the Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails

During 1912 Indiana Businessman Carl G. Fisher conceptualized the Lincoln Highway as a major transcontinental Auto Trail.  The Lincoln Highway was formally dedicated on October 31, 1913, and was aligned west of Fallon via split branches over the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The original northern branch of the Lincoln Highway (displayed in blue) is shown on the Lincoln Highway Association's Official Map from Reno heading west to Verdi onwards to the Dog Valley Grade into California.



West of what is now Nevada State Route 647 (formerly US Route 40) the north branch of the Lincoln Highway followed Southern Pacific Railroad along Mogul Road through the namesake siding community.  


During 1914 a then new culvert bridge would be commissioned near Mogul along the Lincoln Highway.  Contractor A.F. Niedt paid for the culvert to have unique railings installed which read "Lincoln Highway."  The impetus for Niedt's decision to install the railings was Washoe County electing to delay signage of the Lincoln Highway in their jurisdiction.  

The Mogul culvert is often touted as the first bridge structure completed as part of the Lincoln Highway.  Lincoln Highway Association President H.E. Frederickson visited the structure shortly after it was complete in 1914.  Frederickson was impressed by the structure and desired to have all Lincoln Highway bridges modeled after the Mogul culvert.  Ultimately only one other like structure was ever built on the Lincoln Highway during 1915 in Tama, Iowa. 

H.E. Frederickson can be seen with Washoe County Commissioner J.O. Sessions at the Mogul culvert in a 1914 photo (courtesy Jim Bonar collection). 


During 1921 the Victory Highway would be multiplexed through Mogul with the north branch of the Lincoln Highway.  The US Route System was formally approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on November 11, 1926.  The approval of the US Route System formally brought US Route 40 into existence which overlapped the north Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway west of Reno.  

US Route 40 west of Reno to the California state line would be realigned during the 1930s.  Segments of realigned highway would bypass structures which were part of the Lincoln Highway which included Mogul Road and the Mogul culvert.  The structure can be seen in a state of abandonment below (year unknown, courtesy Jim Bonar collection).


Amid construction of Interstate 80 in the Reno area the railings from the Mogul culvert were salvaged by the Nevada Department of Highways (now Nevada Department of Transportation).  The rails were relocated approximately 0.9 miles west to the eastbound Interstate 80 truck parking area.  



Part 2; a visit to the Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails

The Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails can be found onto eastbound Interstate 80 at the truck parking area near Mile Marker 6. 


A closer up look at the salvaged rails.  



The interpretative information sign regarding the Lincoln Highway Bridge Rails. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more