Photos
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South portal Photos taken July 2005 by David Backlin |
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North portal |
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Main span |
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Oblique view |
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North approach |
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Center pier |
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Portal bracing |
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Looking overhead |
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Behind portal |
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Under approach |
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Under main span |
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Lower joint |
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Upper joint |
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Photo taken by Gene McCluney in October 2007 |
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Photo taken by Gene McCluney in October 2007 |
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Photo taken by Gene McCluney in January 2008 |
Facts
- Overview
- Through truss bridge over Big Sugar Creek on Cowan Ridge Road (CR SE-E-58), just southwest of Route E near Powell
- Location
- McDonald County, Missouri
- Status
- Open to one-lane traffic with a 3 ton weight limit
- Future prospects
- Scheduled for replacement
- History
- Built 1914-15 by the East St. Louis Bridge Co.
- Builders
- - East St. Louis Bridge Co. (Superstructure)
- Fred W. Appleby (Substructure)
- Design
- Main span: Pin-connected, 8-panel Pratt through truss
North approach: Pin-connected, 4-panel Pratt pony truss - Dimensions
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Length of largest span: 140.0 ft.
Total length: 209.9 ft.
Deck width: 11.8 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 15.3 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +36.61624, -94.18218 (decimal degrees)
36°36'58" N, 94°10'56" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/394285/4052952 (zone/easting/northing)
- Land survey
- T. 22 N., R. 30 W., Sec. 21
- USGS topographic map
- Powell
- Inventory numbers
- MO 060-249000.5 (Missouri off-system bridge number)
MONBI 20158 (Missouri bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 22023 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection (as of 01/2006)
- Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Serious (3 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 19.9 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2006)
- 25
Update Log
- December 13, 2008: New photos from Gene McCluney
- July 1, 2008: Updated by David Backlin
- July 26, 2005: Posted photos from David Backlin
Sources
- David Backlin - us71 [at] cox [dot] net
- Gene McCluney - mccluney [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Missouri Historic Bridge Inventory
Comments
The Joplin Globe reported on June 29, that the Powell Bridge has been saved from destruction. As soon as a new bridge can be built downstream, the old bridge will be converted into a pedestrian bridge.
Such a shame that they can't just rehabilitate and save a beautiful structure like this. This bridge stood out to me above most of the others on this site...partly due to its striking similarities to the long-closed Tilley Bridge on my own site. Every day it angers and disappoints me that they continue to demolish and close these structures rather than restoring them and keeping them in use. These are small lightly traveled local roads, and I do not understand why we have to constantly replace everything interesting and enjoyable with something else ugly, boring and utilitarian. It clearly shows what our leaders think of their communities and the population as a whole.
I have lived just a few hundred feet from this bridge for the last 40 years and there is nothing like the charm that this quaint old bridge presents. I have crossed it thousands of times and at no time did I feel unsafe. It has been a part of the lives of my children and grandchildren for their entire lives. When my kids were young, they fished from it, as my grandkids have just this last summer. My son had some of his senior pictures taken on the old bridge. My late husband and I used to walk to the old bridge and just stand, holding hands, looking down into the water, watching the fish swim around. It is too bad that more people haven't had such a wonderful old bridge to look at and enjoy for as many years as I have this one.