Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge

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Union Pacific Bridge about 1909

The Union Pacific Missouri River Bridge is a rail truss bridge across the Missouri River connecting Council Bluffs, Iowa with Omaha, Nebraska.

When it first opened in 1872 it connected the First Transcontinental Railroad to the eastern United States. It has been rebuilt twice with the current bridge opening in 1916.

When the Union Pacific began heading west from Omaha in 1862 there were no railroads connecting to it from the east. Initial plans called for trains to connect to it by ferry. After the Chicago and North Western Railway reached Council Bluffs in 1867, the Union Pacific for a while tried to run freight trains across the frozen river during the winter.

In 1869 the transcontinental railroad was completed. An 1871 report to stockholders has this description:

The want of a bridge over the Missouri River, at Omaha to connect the eastern railroads with the Union Pacific, has been one of the most annoying incidents connected with the trip to California.

The report goes on to describe the first bridge:

The bridge is of 11 spans, 250 feet each, 50 feet above high water, resting upon one store abutment now complete; and 11 iron piers, all in place and the larger part already sunk from 60 to 72 feet in the sand, and resting in the bed-rock.

The approaches to the bridge were a mile and a half on each side.

Union Pacific initially said it would include a roadway. However it was to back down. It would not be until 1888 when the Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge opened when there would be a roadway connecting the cities.

Today the most notable feature on the Council Bluffs side is a Harrah's Casino and immediately across the bridge on the Nebraska side is Union Station (Omaha)