Tuesday, January 21, 2025
AUBURN, Ind. — A piece of DeKalb County’s history, the former vehicular bridge which spanned the CSX railroad tracks east of St. Joe on C.R. 75 will be brought back to life.
The City of Auburn Board of Works and Public Safety approved the sale of the bridge to the DeKalb County Fair Association for $1 during Tuesday’s meeting.
The fair association said its plan for the bridge is to utilize it as a second crossing connecting the fairgrounds to the Center Street lot used for camping and parking during the fair.
“This will require extensive planning and approvals from various state organizations before it can occur, but knowing we have the bridge available to us is the first step to get the process started,” said Eric Rowe, representing the DeKalb County Fair Association. “We would like to thank the City for supporting the DeKalb County Fair Association in this way. The fair association is pleased to collaborate with the City of Auburn to find a place in DeKalb County for the historic bridge.”
“I am happy to see a piece of DeKalb County’s history being brought back to life. One of the most important considerations with the old railroad bridge was ensuring it remained within DeKalb County, given its historical and cultural significance to our community,” said Mayor Dave Clark. “The City is pleased to be able to work with the DeKalb County Fair Association on this project.”
Previous City administration had plans to utilize the bridge in a similar manner spanning Cedar Creek at Eleventh Street. That proposal would have utilized the bridge as a walking bridge connecting area residents with the east side of the creek and the DeKalb Outdoor Theater.
The Steel Warren Pony Truss timber rail bridge, known as DeKalb County – Bridge NO. 134, spanned 147-feet and stood for over 75 years. When it was dismantled in 2014 by DeKalb County it was part of the Indiana Historic Bridge inventory.