Bryan Bridge - Valentine, NE
N 42° 49.905 W 100° 31.634
14T E 375177 N 4743262
Award winning 1932 Bridge along old US 20 near Valentine crossing the Niobrara River.
Waymark Code: WM2JZA
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2007
Views: 25
This arched cantilever truss bridge, connected in the center with a single pin, is the only one of its kind in the United States. It was built in 1932 by the Department of Public Works and named by the local citizenry in honor of Governor Charles Wayland Bryan. The bridge is 289 feet long, has a 24-foot roadway, and cost $55,564. It was designed by Josef Sorkin, who immigrated from Russia in 1923 and graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Engineering in 1929.
This particular design was chosen because it was aesthetically compatible with the surrounding environment of the Niobrara river Valley. the Bryan Bridge was selected as the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge of 1932 in Class C" by the American institute of Steel Construction, and was the first bridge between Wisconsin and the Pacific Coast to receive such an award.
In 1988 the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1995 it was designated as a State Historic civil Engineering Landmark by the Nebraska Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Street address:
Along US Hwy 20 south east of Valentine, NENE USA
County / Borough / Parish: Cherry County
Year listed: 1988
Historic (Areas of) Significance: award winning highway bridge
Periods of significance: 1925 - 1949
Historic function: Niobrara River crossing of US Hwy 20
Current function: same but now a scenic byway
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2007 To: 12/31/2007
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Privately owned?: Not Listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.