Industrial History: 1911-2016 Wagon Wheel Bridge over Des Moines River west of Boone, IA

(Archived Bridge Hunter returned 503; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite, the bridge was destroyed by an ice flow in 2016)

The Abandoned Iowa Project posted

The Wagon Wheel Bridge stretched over 700 feet across the Des Moines River west of the city of Boone.

Its construction and design were unique when it was erected in 1909. Four spans representing two distinctive truss styles imbued the bridge with a distinctive style and unique quality unmatched by other Des Moines River crossings. The Wagon Wheel Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Its four spans remained open to traffic until its closure due to damage from the devastating 2008 floods.

Sadly, the Wagon Wheel Bridge met its demise in Winter of 2016. An ice jam in February caused significant damage to a vital support pillar causing a center span to twist, contort, and collapse downstream later that March.

The collapse inflicted significant damage to the connecting spans. Renovation became impossible.

The Wagon Wheel Bridge was demolished following a century of service to the surrounding communities. The remaining spans were removed in their entirety that following June.

[There are several comments noting that the wood planks made a lot of noise when a car crossed the bridge.]

Dawn Reitz commented on the above post
My dad on the Wagon Wheel bridge.

Tony Jones commented on the above post
I took this pic on the Ogden side in 2012.

This Flickr photo shows the metal column piers.

"Significance: This bridge is one of the few remaining large-scale wagon trusses in Iowa. A locally important crossing of a major river, it is one of the few multiple span pin-connected Pratt trusses remaining in the state. One of its four spans is a long-span Pennsylvania through truss, an important sub-type of the Pratt truss." [HAER_data]

The bridge in the background was the original C&NW High Level (Kate Shelly) Bridge.

HAER IOWA,8-BOONE.V,2--7
7. ELEVATION, FROM NORTH - Wagon Bridge, Spanning Des Moines River, Boone, Boone County, IA

The middle diagonal members in the middle panel are smaller because they carry a lighter load. And this photo easily confirms that the truss is pin connected.