What an interesting and historic bridge in a gorgeous area of Missouri! With a sufficiency rating of 52, the bridge is eligible for federal funding for rehablitation, but not for total replacement. If no rehabilitation is done, then eventually MODOT will close the bridge to traffic. There are no alternate routes north and south in the area. Rehabilitation is inevitable. After witnessing a bad accident of a truck running into the bridge rail end post on the south side on Memorial Day 2006, it is obvious that the end posts need some sort of impact attenuator design for safety. I hope that MoDOT goes for an aesthetic, retro-historic sort of design when they rehabilitate the bridge. The designers will need to go "outside the box" to come up with a design that will match the existing historic structure aesthetics and satisfy FHWA and MUTCD design requirements. Send your input to MoDOT's District Engineer in Willow Springs, MO.
This bridge has not moved in my lifetime...in other words since early in 1959. I grew up visiting my grandparents who lived about 3/4s of the way up the hill on Hwy 62 in Cotter on the river side. We could see this bridge, and the entrance to the tunnel from my grandpa's deck and back yard. A man named Frank Young (my grandpa's best fishin buddy), who grew up in Cotter, (the old water tower was in his back yard at the top of the hill)said the bridge was unique because it went directly into the tunnel.
Locals call it Crocker bridge.
Shouldn't the coordinates be 47N 1E section 25? not section 35?
I am taking Amtrak to Chicago in August, and was sondering where I would cross the Mississippi river. Is this the bridge that I will be crossing when i leave from St. Louis?
Thanks,
Tom
Please send me the history of this bridge. Thank you.
My friends and I used to play all up and down the area where the bridge is located. It is a shame that it has gotten in such bad repair. You are always looking for something to bring to the city Pudge. Thank you
I remember my family partying on a sandbar near this bridge quite a few years ago. My father and I walked by the river, underneath the bridge, and found a hammer which must have been lost during construction. I drove to Thebes today to visit my grandfather's grave, and went by the bridge. There wasn't a chance of me driving past the Union Pacific "no trespassing" signs, but that was close enough, anyway. Thank you for the pics!
the Saline River US 278 Bridge is not tore down and replaced by a 4 lane flat bridge, it was tore apert back in 2002, and i cant tell you anymore then that
I was thumbing through an old book I bought called "Bridges Over The Osage". It was published in 1980. It's mainly about the swinging bridges in Benton County but there is some mention of the bridges in Miller County.
The author, Robert Hayden, wrote that Joe Dice built these bridges to fit the budget. What a budget he must have had to build the Kliethermes Bridge!
Mr. Hayden doesn't say when the bridge was built but he does mention that the Kemna Bridge carries a 1924 date and the now long gone Boeckman Bridge carried a more specific date of April 14, 1926 with Dice's signature in one of the main cable cappings. With all that said, I would think the Kliethermes Bridge was built somewhere in that timeframe.
One thing I noticed in one of the pictures was that the weight limit sign reads 2 tons.
Thank you for these great pictures. I've travelled across this bridge every summer since 1981. It holds many memories of slower, easy summer days of childhood for me. I'm sorry we lost this piece of history.
Thanks - confirmed. I drove down there last week! Grandma is still there...
Unless I'm mistaken I believe the Brookport Bridge over the Ohio is the Irvin S. Cobb...not the I-24 bridge.
I grew up in Massac County and have crossed this bridge too many times to count. I've never been concerned about it. For those who have never driven across a steel bridge deck it could be alarming but once you drive it once or twice it isn't a big deal. For those of you who get nervous on this bridge try not to think about the fact that you can manage to push an aluminium can through the gaps in the deck! Seriously though this bridge has had far fewer problems than the bridge over the Ohio on Interstate 24.
IN MY OPINION this bridge is most likely 1 of 2 lost bridges on Cadron Creek at Faulkner / Conway county line. these bridges were north and south of the infamous Springfeild/Des Arc which is on this site. in conclusion this bridge is either the lost "Mallet Town" bridge further north on Cadron creek between highway 285 near Republican and highway 124 near Springfeild. or the lost Cadron bridge further south between highway 285 at Wooster and highway 92 near Plummerville.
please feel free to contact me to discuss these or any other bridges as i have recently photographed 3 other thru truss bridges not on this site
The name of the cemetery to the south of the bridge is the Herculaneum Cemetery established in 1915.
Charles C. Blackwell planned and helped construct this bridge. His obituary:
LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, St. Francois Co. MO, Thurs. Nov. 26, 1981
CHARLES C. BLACKWELL
Charles Coleman Blackwell of Bonne Terre, passed away at his residence November 20, 1981 at the age of 94. He was born February 4, 1887 in Blackwell, Mo. to the late Aquilla and Dolly (Coleman) Blackwell.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary (Miller) Blackwell, in 1960; one daughter, Ruby Collins; 5 sisters and 7 brothers.
Surviving are 4 sons and 2 daughters: Robert Blackwell, Bonne Terre; Ralph Blackwell, Newport Beach, California; Earl Blackwell, Hillsboro, Mo.; James Blackwell, St. Charles; Elsie (Mrs. L. B.) Matthews, Middlebrook; and Bonnie (Mrs. Leslie) Bates of Bismarck, North Dakota.
Also surviving are one sister, Mrs. Fannie Eaves of Festus, Mo., 13 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Blackwell was a former school teacher, farmer and stone mason. The proudest accomplishment of his long life was his planning and construction of the seven-arch bridge across Terre Bleu on the old Hillsboro Road, 4 miles east of Bonne Terre.
Services were Sunday, November 22 at 2:00 p.m. at Sparks Chapel with Rev. Leland Butler officiating.
Interment was in St. Francois Memorial Park under the direction of Sparks Funeral Home of Bonne Terre.
I am a Lake area resident who has visited this bridge many times with visitors to astound them by this engineering feat! I believe the "local traffic only" sign is gone. I have driven back and forth over this bridge many times. Make sure to go slowly, and roll all your windows down for full effect. It sounds like riding a wood-frame roller coaster. There is actually a Missouri State Park located at the bridge site as well. As far as "Will the bridge hold", I have seen extended cab pickups cross pulling trailers with boats in them.
When I was a child living down there (1970 or so), I was told about the remains of the older bridge being visible when the lake level was low. For some reason, that idea terrified me. I have had nightmares associated with this bridge into adulthood. Funny how the mind works. Anyway, I'd like to learn more about the previous bridge, such as how close the alignment was to the current one and how much of the bridge remains intact. Was the old bridge dynamited? What about the piers?
I was raised most of my life and still have family living in Brookport. I have crossed the bridge so many times that if I had a nickel for each time (either direction), I would be a very rich man. The key to crossing this bridge is to drive around 45-50 MPH while on the deck (of course, you'll need to slow down northbound as there is a fairly tight curve as you exit the bridge into Brookport). If you drive any slower, the metal decking will tend to grab your tires and make you wobble side to side. Likewise, if you have winter tires or tires with a large tread, the same result may happen. Hey...Stay calm...those of you who freak out on this thing are the ones who give us a reason to paint it every so often (SCREEEEEEEEEEEE...that's the sound of your car swapping paint with the bridge). The only thing I don't recommend is crossing the bridge on foot or bike; you gotta keep your eyes open for the other fool.
Hi,
I was reading your post about the Bourbeuse Bridge and wondered if you know where I can find some history on Moselle, Mo. We may be moving to the area and I was curious about whatever I could find.
Thanks,
Sherry
We traveled across that bridge northbound in 1995. As far as current bridge(s!) go legnthwise, this one takes the proverbial cake. There are five nacvigation humps (cue that overplayed but still very catchy "Black Eyed Peas" song hit): going northbound as did we (my parents and I):
a) nad b) two small fixed prestressed-concrete spans, a larger hump, anotbher smaller "hump",and then the drawbruidge that si pciutred above several times.
Glad to have found this site.
The Frisco built two railroad bridges across the Arkansas at Van Buren. The first was built by the Union Bridge Company in 1885. The first bridge was of wrought iron and steel. The white limestone came mainly from a quarry near Beaver,Arkansas with lesser amounts coming from quarriies in Mountainburg,AR and Garfield, AR.The first bridge, built for the Frisco's Fort Smith & Van Buren Bridge Company subsidiary, took two lives. The first train to cross the brige was Frisco No. 17, southbound , on February 9, 1886.
(Please see American Society of Civil Engineers Transactions, Volume XX (May 1889) for a detailed discussion of the bridge construction project)
In 1912 the Frisco announced plans to rebuild the bridge perhaps due to heavier traffic loads. As the rebuilding was underway in December 1913 high water caused a collapse of the false work used to support the bridge. The Frisco had to detour via the MP to Sallisaw to enter Fort Smith for more than a month.
The bridge project was formally finished April 27, 1915. The old bridge had a second life as it was rebuilt to cross the Arkansas River at Morrilton, AR. It has since been replaced by a more modern structure. The vertical lift was added to the bridge in 1976 to increase utility of the bridge.
After reading the latest news, I drove out to photograph the bridge on Saturday, May 13th. The bridge is still standing but piles of rip rap on both approaches have closed it to vehicular traffic. This would appear to confirm the statement that it soon will be dismantled. Sad news indeed because this bridge is very photogenic, particularly from the Western approach because the road turns sharply to the left just before the cable towers which gives a pleasing oblique view of the bridge deck.
The bridge in upper photo was taken at Birdfordvill. The lower photo was taken at Allenville.The Allenville bridge was built first it's twin sister at birdfordvill was shortley after.
Why destroy such a beautiful piece of workmanship?
What a shame!
There was an error in the last post: Angela Freeman was abducted in 1993; Bond and Hatcher in May 1995.
This bridge was the site of two abductions. One in 1990, of Angela Lee Freeman; her body was never found. The second took place in 1991, when Robbie Lee Bond and William Hatcher were abducted by two cousins who then drove to their mobile home to commit the rapes and murders.
This bridge has since been removed and replaced with a modern concrete bridge.
Dear Sir -
Who was McColly and why was the bridge in question named after him or her?
My name is Brent Mitchell, I am posting this comment on behalf of a friend of mine whos father owns some land on turman creek and it happens to be right next to this bridge, although i was only 2 when it got its last "face lift" the bridge still looks as strong as ever. The reason I am posting this is because, my friends father is very interested in the history of Turman Creek and the Native Americans that once lived there. If any one has any information on this it would be very helpful to me in this research that i am doing. Thank you.....
Brent Mitchell
E-mail mitch3_8@yahoo.com
My grandfather told me there was a marker placed in 1927 on this bridge showing the highest mark the river got during the flood. Do you know anything about this?
just found a geocas site on this bridge.
use to drive it all the time, seems strange now.
Mrs. B
from Northridge, Ohio
5-7-06
There is cemetery just on the south side of the bridge, on the left (I believe) towards the Mississippi. Any idea what the name of it is? I thought it would be the Joachim Cemetery - but apparently not.
R/Lance
I also remember ocasionally crossing over the bridge in the mid and late 90's when I had to go from Alton to the Missouri-Illinois Blood Region building at 4050 Lindell and wanted a "short-cut." A couple of times, the automatic coin collectors were jammed and the hoppers were overflowing with change. Then, you would go up on the bridge itself, encountering many of the conditions the previous person commenting has described. Once you got up on the main spans, it wasn't so bad. However, the approaches on the Missouri side were the worst. Apparently the foundations had settled, and the joints (which were like serrated knife blades) were pointed up at a 45 degree angle in some spots. They acted like those like those barriers that they have on parking lots to keep people from leaving without paying. I remember coming to almost a complete stop to avoid damaging my tires while at the same time looking in my rearview mirror to see someone coming at me from the rear at a high rate of speed. Glad to see that the bridge is going to be put back into commission as I believe it is really going to be needed since we don't when (or if) the new interstate bridge is going to be built.
I believe that this bridge was located just south of the Columbia city limits where the line crossed the old GM&O railroad line. The abutments for a bridge over the GM&O were visible for many years but may have been removed in recent years. The was an electric trolley line known as the East St. Louis, Columbia & Waterloo (interurban?) line. It was apparently in business from around the turn of the 20th Century until right before World War II (not sure when it was abandoned) and apparently ran from downtown St. Louis (across the Eads Bridge)through East St. Louis, Maplewood (now part of Cahokia), Cahokia, North Dupo, Dupo, Columbia (right down Main Street) and Waterloo where I believe it terminated. It essentially paralled old Illinois Route 3 and if you look closely, you can still see evidence of the route it took. For instance, it crossed right through the middle of what is now the Dupo Khourey League diamonds. On the north side of the complex, the bridge that carried the line over the creek is still there. I used to ride my bike over that bridge back when I was a kid in the 1960's. From Dupo to Columbia on old Illinois Route 3, the line used to parallel the highway just about a block to the west, where the Ameren/IP power lines now run. My dad knew this line well and said the trolleys travelled very fast along it. He also said that such a line would be a godsend nowadays with all of the traffic congestion. Hope that this helps!
The old bridge crossing the Missouri River at Bolivar Street from Jefferson City to Southern Callaway County was quite unique. The main span of three spans, nearest to Jefferson City on the South side of the river, was supported by a single, round column and was identifiable by the larger superstructure. It was on this single column that the main span of the bridge would rotate 90º to allow boat traffic to pass through due to the limited clearance between the substructure and the river surface. This rotation was effected by a diesel engine below the bridge surface providing power to rotate the deck of the main span. Due to the limited size of the diesel engine, rotation of the bridge was slow and in some cases motor traffic could be disrupted for as long as 45 minutes. Until approximately 1935 the bridge was owned by the JC Bridge Company and a toll was charged to cross the river. In approximately 1935, the bridge was acquired by the Missouri Highway Department and all tolls were dropped. Shortly thereafter a larger diesel engine to rotate the span was installed as well as a control house located in the upper portions of the superstructure of that main span. Shorter rotation times resulted and scheduled opening times decreased the frequency and duration of interruption of bridge traffic. The bridge was replaced in the mid-1950's and was finally torn down in 1958.
My Father, and his before him, worked for MVSS. Thank you for posting the plaque image. That's a great bit of nostalgia.
is all the track still in place on the old roadbed? Email me back if anyone gets time. Very intresting.
I'm not to far from Bigelow. I'd like to see it for myself. Email me with some more imfo!!
I remember crossing that bridge several times when we would go to Judsonia. Always a spookey experience. The floor would make all kinds of cracking and poping noises.
this website doesnt have enough info. for my friend to do her report. HOW RUDE!!
I have crossed that bridge several times as a kid. I'm 31 now so the bridge had been closed to traffic several years before that. The only thing left is the concrete pillars the cables were bolted to. My father said when he was a kid that the school bus would stop short of the bridge. They would have to walk across. Once across the bus would drive across. they would load up and on the way to school they would go! I hated it for everyone the day it collapsed. The times i was there the water was only about 3 to 4 feet deep. I would imagine that the log ties used for the flooring caused a lot of the injurys and deaths along with the fall to shallow water.
It appears this may have replaced a swingbridge, as on one end of it, there's a round bridge abutment, typical of what's under the center of a swingbridge.
Longest railroad bridge in the US
This bridge was also known as the Peal Bend Bridge. Joe Dice built this bridge in 1912 on the downstream end of what was called Peal Bend on the Osage River.
It was 600' long had wooden towers and cost $8,500. In 1924, a tornado(the same storm that took out the original Upper Bridge?) blew down on of the towers. Apparently, the bridge was rebuilt.
I do beleave I know where that bridge use to be. I live around this area.
If you drive to the river access just outside Moselle the last right hand turn just before you get to the parking lot you'll see a pile of dirt on the left of the curve blocking an old rd that leads to where the bridge use to cross.
If you take a boat up the Bourbeuse riverfrom the boat ramp. You'll see the old stone piers along each side of the river.
That's the only bridge I know of that crossed the Bourbeuse river in that area.
here's the lat and long 38.398275 -90.894563
This Bridge and the property around it was owned by my Great grandmother,Josephine Nelch. She donated the bridge and several acres around it to the historical society many years ago. Its was never owened by Mr. Castle. The Nelch family has owned this property for nearly one hundred years and still maintians farms in Chatam and Glenarm adjacent to the bridge property.
I live in Theodosia and it is so beautiful here!!! This is our bridge!!!
I grew up in this area and I think the bridge was built about 1969. It made the news as being the first covered bridge built in Iowa in almost a hundred years.
These two bridges were built in the late very 1980's into the very early 1990's. The east bound was built second (it is located in the same alighnment as the old original bridge that was replaced) and was dedicated in December 1991. The westbound was built first right alongside the original bridge.
What is interesting is that the bridge had a 20 ton load limit. However, trucks hauling coal to the C.I.P.S power plant in Hutsonville ran it so much, Indiana DOT would pull them over under a tree on IN- 154 approx 1 mile before the bridge for an inspection. This probably led to the deterioration of the bridge after only 50 years.
Also, when it was built, it was a toll bridge. the tolls were later removed.
I love this bridge very pretty
keep the bridge but build a new one please
keep the bridge but build a new one please
I was just doing some research on the Shaw Bridge in Arkansas. I am a relative of Bill Shaw, who helped build it.
This bridge is featured in the 1981 movie "Escape From New York" as the "69th Street Bridge" and was also the site of a 1991 rape and murder of two sisters.
I just got back a few minutes ago from the bridge. As children, our families had cabins on the "creek". We went through several floods and survived them all. The last time I visited the area was before my mother died. She wanted to see what "was left after the flood". I wished she could be around today to see your new bridge. What a wonderful job you all did. Thank you. A few tears fell while I stood looking and remembering. Van's Tavern looks the same but much worn with age. As a child, I made the local paper along with my friend when we wrecked our mini bike motorcycles on the bridge.
Again thank you. GREAT JOB!!!
i love this ozark bridge!!! i have noticed that u guys have done alot eith itsinceit was firstbuilt. it looks great.well my cell #is 2090610 and i would love it if u could call me iwould like to talk to someone about this ozark bridge and stuff.so give me a call and if you dont get me at that # heres my home #5821689.
kyli
This structure is not a pony truss. It is actually a Pennsylvania Through Truss.
This bridge looks like a Whipple Truss. Does anyone know the status of this historic bridge?
4/24/06
My Great Uncle helped build this bridge. Do you have a list of the people who helped build this bridge? Or do you know if a list of employees is still available?
Desperate to locate information.
Thanks
Sue
This bridge was torn down a few weeks ago. A part of dyess history gone but not forgotten.
In 1985 my wife and I traveled from Michigan to Texas to visit our daughter. It was the middle of February and we had stayed overnight in southern IL. Getting up early we found that it had snowed several inches and was still snowing. We left following I-57. It was a Sunday morning and there wasn't any traffic at all. It was snowing so hard we couldn't see the road and all I wanted to do was get off that expressway. We came to the Cairo exit and I took it. Followed the road through the town and soon saw the bridge in front of us. Hadn't seen another car the whole time. Continued onto the bridge and thought, "This is a very narrow, old bridge". The glimpses I got of the river were spectacular but too focused on driving to see much. Got us to the other side and followed the levees in MO until we found our way to the expressway again. So that was our visit to Cairo and the historic Cairo Mississippi River Bridge.
Pulaski County recently replaced this bridge.
That's actually one of the most beautiful photos of a bridge that I've seen.
I just crossed this bridge southbound on Thursday, April 13th, and I have to agree with the first poster, although I will say that with all the construction vehcles on the eastern half, it feels as if you have a whole lot less deck to work with. I very definitely had a harder time controlling the car on the metal deck. There was another bridge a lot like this one in Boonville, MO at one time. I didn't like driving over it, either.
This bridge was built with extra wide piers for a possible second track.
Just to let you know, this would be a Union Pacific RR bridge not BNSF.
Used to cross this bridge on my bicycle in the 70s to get to the Chain of Rocks tavern, where a 13 year old could get a cold Bud.
The oak deck was replaced in the mid-late 70s. My friend's dad, who lived in the St. Charles County side and farmed on the Lincoln County side, would park his truck on the south end, then cross the bridge on foot using the iron girders as his path, then climb into his other truck on the north side. Being a farmer, he'd do this before sunrise.
Just looking on websites about the flood of 1993 and found this picture. I live about a mile from the bridge and am proud to be from Blomeyer!
well...I can tell you last summer this line was in operation...know how I know? I was the conductor on the local out of Ste Gen that first day it was open for re-routes to Bismarck...LSH08 was taking loaded lime cars to Bismarck to meet up with the 57 local
The bridge was constructed in 1885-86. When originally built, it had a spin section (still in place) on the Van Buren side of the river. The section would turn out into the river on a Bull Gear mounted on top of the round pier to allow river traffic to proceed. The stones that comprise the piers were quarried from the bluffs of the White River near Eureka Springs.
I would be very interested in any history you may have on this bridge. It is near our home and is very unique. There are what appear to be jail cells on both ends under the structure. They are large rooms with concrete walls and one small barred window on each side.Towns people rumor that it was built by prisoners who used to be left in these cells at the end of the day rather than transporting them all back to town. Any info would be great!
Thanks,
Tara
I was born on the road this bridge is on. I crossed it all my life coming out to the hiway to go into town or to church or school.
It in now repaired & replaced with a concrete bridge. Installed about two years ago.
I miss the old wooden bridge and the holding of one's breath as you took chances of crossing the old wooden bridge....
The bridge used to be on my Great Grandparent's land (William Columbus and Verna Marble Kehr of Meadville, Missouri.) They made a traded land with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources so the department could acquire the land where the bridge is located. My Grandparents, Owen and Lois Kehr and my Mother's Cousin, Ralph Kehr still live within walking distance of the bridge and I have spent a great deal of time down at the Locust Creek Bridge.
I have just purchased a sail boat and I'm wondering the clearance height of Hurricane Deck bridge at full 6:60 level....Please, also let me know the new bridge on 54 highway and also the height of the new toll bridge on the Lake of the Ozarks....thanks Jim Franklin
I too love this bridge. I have also heard talk about a new bridge but not sure when it will be built. If a new bridge is built i would like to see the old bridge kept around and used as a tourist attraction.
The old bridge across the Tallahatchie River on Union County Mississippi Road 115 is the orgional Mississippi State Hwy 15 Bridge. The Miss Hwy Dept built the present day Hwy 15 before my birth and Im almost forty and the old hwy became property of Union County Supervisors and became a county road. The follows more or less and old indian trail that led from Ripley Mississippi to Pontotoc Mississippi. The Indians that lived along the west bank of the Tallahatchie were known as Albanio Indians and the town of New Albany took its name from the indians and currupted the spelling into Albany. As a child i waded the Tallahatchie with my older brothers underneath this bridge and up until recently the road and bridge were in use but at present the road is closed at the bridge and the north end of the bridge is destroyed. The Hwy 15 bridge is less than a half mile from the old bridge and is in view from this bridge. The contract is underway to replace the Hwy 15 bridge within view again with a four lane state hwy and I wonder if the new concrete bridge that took the place of this old iron bridge will fall by the wayside just like the old iron bridge it replaced. I can make pics of other Union County Mississippi bridges if anyone is interested in one.
this bridge is haunted. if anyone has any reports or info on who 'eric' is, please email me. if you want to get scared, go out there one night. you wont be disappointed.
I hope this bridge dosen't fall while you are walking on it!!
This bridge is in the works to being apart of the Waterfront Park in Louisville. When the bridge is completed, it will be used as a walk over bridge over the Ohio River. A great example of a bridge being reused as such is the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis.
I have lived in the neighborhood of the Stone Bridge all my life .( 62 years ) When I was a child I played under the bridge. I would be agreeable to support a restoration effort if I possibly am able to do so. Thank you P Combs for posting the pictures.
Nice bridges!
James,
This bridge is gone, replaced by a new bridge in 2005.
Jack
This bridge has be torn down and rebuilt. It is now open.
This bridge has been torn down and rebuilt. It is soon to reopen.
Great website. I did notice that you have Pudge Combs name spelled wrong. It is Combs, not Coombs.
Thanks,
Doug
The 27th Street Viaduct is in the process of being replaced. Construction started during the 4Q of 2005. I'm not sure when it is scheduled to be completed.
The bridge is the the first iron bridge I have ever walked across. I can remember when I was about seven when my parents and my great-grandparents took me down to this bridge and then my dad picked me up and stood me on the railing. It was quite scary. To this day it is a favorite hobby of mine to walk across bridges, especially antique ones. I have walked across the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC, walked across the famous drawbridges across the Chicago River in Chicago, walked across Chain of Rocks 66 Bridge in St. Louis, the Seven Mile Bridge in Key West, Fl, some covered bridges in Alabama and South Carolina, the 2nd Street Bridge in Louisville, Ky, and numerous other old bridges. The Green Valley Bridge in Columbia, Mo is my favorite though because it reminds me of when I would visit my grandparents every summer in Columbia, MO.
That is sad news, indeed. Joe Dice's creations are becoming more rare. It's too bad there aren't any options available for saving and relocating a swinging bridge like there are for truss bridges.
When is replacement supposed to take place?
After spending the day shopping at the Osage Beach outlet mall, I drove my wife and kids to Brumley to show them the engineering marvel that is the Grand Auglaize swinging bridge. They were thrilled. . .no really!
We checked out the Mill Creek Bridge first then drove over to the Grand Auglaize Bridge. Of course, I was too chicken to drive over it. . .again. I would've had to enjoy the experience alone anyway. I know there would be no way on God's green Earth that my wife and kids would stay in the truck with me.
I was impressed that my wife and kids actually walked across it. . .until they came up to the first HUGE gap between the boards. The gap was big enough that our two year old son could've fallen through!
I walked over to the other side and took a few pictures but when I got halfway across on the way back . . .danged if someone wasn't driving down the road from whence I came! I really didn't think it wise to get caught walking on that bridge with someone else DRIVING across it at the same time. So, much to the amusement of my wife, I took off sprinting to safety hoping I wouldn't trip between between any two boards. Fortunately, I made it with a few seconds to spare. . .
Ther are some rumors that this bridge will be replaced in the next few years
"Local traffic only" ...that's interesting. What does that even mean, and who is enforcing it? It is totally amazing that the unwrapped cable pictured is going into a concrete anchor where it can't be inspected and the other side is in contact with the ground, where IT can't be inspected. It's a beautiful bridge but every day that bridge remains standing is a miracle.
Can you send some pictures of it?
Can you send some pictures of it?
the bridge pictured on the post card is the Union covered Bridge. It is still in existance (one of 4 covered bridges in Missouri).
This bridge is undergoing repairs to the deck at the present time, we are putting a new metal grid deck in place of the wooden floor that was on it. We have also put new steel stringer beams on it at this time. The county plans to rehab the entire bridge in a couple years.
What a truly amazing bridge! I crossed this with a Lincoln towncar in the summer of 2005 and it showed what "redundancy" is all about. Even though many of the individual wires of the main cables were broken, the evidence of the value of multiple wires in a cable shows the superior strenth-to-weight ratio of suspension bridges over other types that cross such large spans. Anyone interested in this type of engineering should visit this bridge. I hope this bridge is preserved for future bridge enthusiests for this is truly a time-tested engineering marvel and shows what can be acheived with proper engineering and design.
FYI I am a Grandchild of Ray and Anna Kliethermes for whom the bridge was named. We have been told they, the county, are tearing the bridge down due to instability. The family is very saddened by this news, we've had many memories with this bridge.