The Meridian Highway was conceived in 1911 as an auto and trade route from Winnipeg, Canada, running roughly along the Sixth Principal Meridian through the US states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, terminating in Mexico City. The Meridian Highway was eventually extended south of Mexico City to Monterrey MX.
The Meridian Bridge, the only moving bridge in the US states of Nebraska and South Dakota, spans the Missouri River along the historic route of the Meridian Highway, signed in 1926 as US81.
From the National Park Service: (
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". . .
The bridge was built with a double deck in anticipation that the lower deck would be made available to a railroad, but the line never materialized. The double decking speaks to the optimism of the bridge company founders that they could attract a north-south rail line to Yankton. By the 1920s, however, the great era of railroad construction was over; many railroads were already contemplating abandoning unprofitable lines and consolidating parallel, competing lines.
The Meridian Highway Bridge Company agreed to sell the bridge to the City of Yankton in 1946 for $700,000. In 1953 after recouping the cost of the bridge through toll collection, the bridge was turned into a free facility and shortly thereafter taken over by the State of South Dakota. At the same time, the lower level which never materialized into a train route was converted to carry vehicular traffic, allowing one-way traffic on each of the two levels.
An Engineering Marvel
The vertical lift span of the bridge is based on the design originally developed by J.A.L. Waddell and John L. Harrington in 1894. Waddell and Harrington dissolved their partnership with Harrington starting a new company, Harrington, Howard and Ash, established in 1914. In January 1920, the Meridian Highway Bridge Company retained this respected firm to design the Meridian lift bridge. Unique to the Meridian Bridge is the fact that the lift span was designed so that it could be swapped with one of the other spans if the river changed its channel.
The bridge has undergone several rehabilitation projects including the construction of new approach spans, deck modifications and several structural steel repairs within its 76-year life. The most significant alteration to the bridge occurred in 1983 when the lift span ceased to be movable and the operating machinery, operator's house that was cantilevered off the northeast quadrant, and counterweights and cables were removed. The towers remain, defining what was the vertical lift span. The decorative iron railings were replaced with concrete barricades. The bridge retains its original configuration and is today distinguished as the only vertical lift span in Nebraska and South Dakota. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 1993. . . "
This bridge was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1993. After being deemed obsolete by the states of Nebraska and South Dakota, the Meridian Bridge was bypassed and US 81 was rerouted onto the new Discovery Bridge in 2008. The Meridian bridge was later converted to pedestrian use, and is a popular pedestrian trail in the area.
From bridgehunter.com: (
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"Overview
Vertical-lift through truss bridge over the Missouri River on US 81 at Yankton
Location
Yankton, Yankton County, South Dakota, and Cedar County, Nebraska
Status
Open to pedestrians only
Future prospects
Rehabilitated for pedestrian/bicycle use
History
Built 1924; rehabilitated 1953; bypassed by Discovery Bridge in 2008
Builders
- American Bridge Co. of New York (Superstructure)
- Harrington, Howard & Ash of Kansas City, Kansas & New York, New York (Engineer)
- Kelly-Atkinson Construction Co. of Chicago, Illinois (Erection)
- Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron Co. of Leavenworth, Kansas (Substructure)
Railroads
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (MILW)
- Great Northern Railway (GN)
Design
Double-decker, vertical lift Pratt through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 250.0 ft.
Total length: 2,886.6 ft. (0.5 mi.)
Deck width: 33.1 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 14.5 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1993
Also called
Meridian Highway Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.86451, -97.39404 (decimal degrees)
42°51'52" N, 97°23'39" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Inventory numbers
SD 68-122-210 (South Dakota structure number)
NRHP 93000537 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 32421 (Bridgehunter.com ID)"