Papinville Marais des Cygnes River Bridge – Papinville, Missouri - Truss Bridges on Waymarking.com

"The Papinville Marais des Cygnes River Bridge is a three span truss bridge which carries the now abandoned County Road 648 over the Marais des Cygnes River. The bridge consists of a wrought iron, pin-connected, Pratt through-truss main span, with two rigid-connected, Warren pony-truss, approach spans. The multi-spans rest on stone abutments constructed for an earlier bridge at the same location, as well as contemporary, concrete-filled steel cylinder piers that support both the approach spans and the main span. The bridge was manufactured and erected by the regionally significant firm, Kansas City Bridge and Iron Company, Kansas City, Missouri. Substantially unaltered, the Papinville bridge is the earliest remaining example of its type in Bates County and retains integrity of materials, design, workmanship, location, and setting.

Nestled between the banks of the Marais des Cygnes River, Papinville's pinned Pratt truss bridge provided a crossing for travelers for over a century. Papinville is located on the east bank of the river about 3 miles above its junction with the Osage River. The bridge is made-up of a single span, seven panel, pin-connected, Pratt through truss with two rigid-connected Warren pony truss approach spans. The total length of the bridge is 234 feet, with the Pratt truss spanning 116 feet. The bridge rests on stone abutments that pre-date the current bridge and on concrete filled steel cylinder piers. The roadway, comprised of a timber deck over steel stringers is 13.8 feet wide...

The Papinville bridge was constructed in 1884 and is the only remaining 19th-century pinned Pratt through-truss in Bates County. As one of Bates County's two oldest vehicular bridges, the Papinville Bridge is historically noteworthy as an intact and extremely well documented remnant of early highway transportation history. Among the earliest of all pin Pratt through trusses statewide, the bridges representative as a late 19th-century example of pinned truss construction. The pinned Pratt was easily the most common bridge type erected in Missouri from 1870s through 1910. Through trusses, in both pin-connected and rigid connected form, constitute the single most technologically significant structural type among Missouri's vehicular bridges."– National Register Nomination

A new bridge has been constructed nearby to provide for vehicle traffic, the old bridge is now only open to pedestrians. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Date Built: 01/01/1884 Length of Span: 234 feet www: http://dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/02001192.pdf Parking Coordinates:: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Log your find with a picture of the bridge with yourself or your GPS in the foreground. This shot does not have to be taken "on" the bridge. The shot should show the "truss" structure of the bridge as well.

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