The presence of Sidney in a natural valley created by the Great Miami River presented challenges to the railroad builders, and ultimately proved to be a major factor in the relocation of the tracks south of town across the Big Four bridge. Ascending the grade out of Sidney either to the east or west was a continual challenge.

A second problem was the high incidence of injuries and deaths on the tracks in the city. The tracks were laid in a series of curves through the river valley into Sidney and center of town. The line went behind what is now Bridgeview School, over the Great Miami River, and through what is now Tawawa Park.

Pedestrian, buggy and auto accidents with trains were common. The influential business community was particularly hard-hit. Within a two year period of time, Robert Given, the owner of R. Given and Sons Tannery, and his sister, Isabella, were both killed by trains on the Big Four line. Charles Benjamin, the founder of Benjamin 'D' Handle Company, was also struck and seriously hurt a few years later.

The third and perhaps most decisive factor involved in relocating the Big Four tracks out of downtown Sidney was the great flood of 1913. The swirling waters washed out some of the track and disrupted operations. A decision was made to relocate the tracks south of town.

The Big Four officials did not have in mind an ordinary bridge. To effectively span the entire width of the valley required almost 14 miles of embankment. The project was slated to take 2 years, and cost over 5 million dollars. There was to be a cost in human lives as well.