The bridges of Saline County, Missouri
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Several people wrote in
with the news that the Wilton Springs Bridge on CR 215
near Marshall, Missouri, was closed to traffic after a hole formed in the wooden deck
large enough to swallow a tire. I visited last weekend and found that the bridge's
deck is actually in decent shape except for the hole. This pin-connected Pratt
through truss features decorative finials rarely found on a rural bridge.
The Eastwood Street Viaduct on Old Highway 240 at Marshall has been closed for a couple years. This is a rare concrete through-girder bridge built by the Missouri highway department. The city has plans to replace the viaduct, along with the adjacent open-spandrel arch bridge over Salt Fork.
Arrow Rock State Historic Site features a rare Kingpost pony truss that was relocated from a nearby county road. The bridge was moved to its new home next to a fishing lake, but remained unfinished until this year.