Ribbon Cutting Set to Celebrate Opening of Historic Bertram “Blue” Bridge

May is National Preservation Month, and to celebrate Linn County and the Indian Creek Nature Center will host a ribbon cutting to celebrate the installation and opening of the historic Bertram "Blue" Bridge on the pedestrian trail. The bridge now connects the northeast corner of the Stimple Prairie and the northwest corner of the Cedar Rapids Prairie increasing access to the Cedar Rapids Prairie and the Cedar Overlook Trail, which connects the Cedar Rapids Prairie to the Woodland Trail and Hazelnut Hideaway.

WHEN: Friday, May 10 at 3 p.m.

WHERE: Indian Creek Nature Center

5300 Otis Road SE

Cedar Rapids

The event will take place in front of the bridge, which is located down a short trail from the parking lot. Golf cart transportation is available for those with mobility needs.

WHAT: Ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the historic Bertram "Blue" Bridge in its new home at the Indian Creek Nature Center

SPEAKERS: Indian Creek Nature Center Executive Director John Myers

Linn County Historic Preservation Commission member Maura Pilcher

Linn County Assistant Engineer Garret Reddish

Linn County Supervisor Kirsten Running-Marquardt

About the Bertram "Blue" Bridge

The Bertram bridge was built in 1876 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company (WIBCo) using a design patented in 1876 and was presumably one of the first bridges to use the new design. WIBCo's patented design was a variation of a standard Pratt truss configuration, employing double-intersecting counter members radiating outward from the center of the span. This early wrought iron truss features four timber stringer spans at its north approach and is supported by a combination of stone and timber abutments. With no alterations on record, this bridge continued to serve vehicle traffic until 2022 at 146 years old.

This bridge has survived many floods, most notably in 1993 and 2008. Thankfully, the high water was mostly backwater from the Cedar River, which did not carry a damaging current. Multiple repairs were made to the bridge over the years. Per inspection records, the timber deck surface was replaced in 1926, 1940, 1954, 1987, and 1996 and the timber approach spans were completely reconstructed in 1987. To protect the integrity of the steel, the truss was painted several times, most notably in 1991 when it received a royal blue treatment earning it the "Blue Bridge" nickname.

In 2023, the Linn County Secondary Road Department began a replacement and relocation project for the bridge. The relocation project included replacing the current bridge with a new IDOT standard concrete beam bridge and relocating it to the Indian Creek Nature Center to be used on their trail system. Due to the truss bridge being a registered historic structure, the Linn County Historic Preservation Commission participated in this project with the Secondary Road Department and Indian Creek Nature Center to ensure the bridge is preserved and properly signed in its new home.

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