1911: (
Archived Bridge Hunter;
Bridge Hunter)
1911 MO-25 1911 Bridge over St. Francis River
The spindly trusses on the right were the road bridge.
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| BridgeHunter_1911 |
The main span was a Pennsylvania through truss. It was pin connected.
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| BridgeHunter_1911 |
1931 US-67/Railroad 1909,1931 Bridge over St. Francis River
This bridge was built by the Williamsville, Greenville & St. Louis Railroad in 1909. It is the heavier truss in the above two photos. After the railroad went bankrupt and abandoned the bridge, it was widened in 1931 and replaced the 1911 bridge. The above two photos were taken during that conversion.
In 1927, MO-25 was designated as part of US-67. The conversion of the bridge was because of the new status of the route as a US highway; and the road was realigned, widened and paved. The conversion widened the truss by 6' (1.8m) and built new approaches. The 180' (55m) pin-connected truss was acquired from MoPac when MoPac replaced it with a double-track span. When the USACE had to replace this bridge, they reused the truss "over the USACE's St Francis Bay Ditch on Arkansas Route 42 by J. P. McNulty of Pine Bluff. [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1909]
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| BridgeHunter_1909 |
The converted railroad bridge is on the left, and the 1941 bridge is being constructed on the right. The USACE didn't need to raise the bridge a lot to clear the
Wappapello Dam's reservoir.
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| BridgeHunter_1941 |
1941 US-67 Bridge over Lake Wappapello
Because the
Wappapello Dam was built in 1941, the USACE had to replace the converted railroad bridge.
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Historical Wayne County, Missouri posted
1945 St. Francis River Flood. This is the highway 67 bridge at Old Greenville.
Dakotah Green: How can i get more information on the history of that bridge I used to ride by it with my dad when I was little and always wondered about the history of it? Rusty Weisman: Dakotah Green if you are ever at old Greenville, go to the old Bettis Ford just downstream from the new 4 lane bridge, where you will find a wayside interpretive panel about the history of that bridge and its predecessor that I produced when I worked at MoDOT. That work was done as part of compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires agencies using federal funds, or federal lands or requiring federal permits to consider the effects of their undertakings on historic properties, and when they are adverse or harmful to take steps to avoid minimize or mitigate the damage. To mitigate the damage to Old Greenville including removal of the 1945 bridge we developed a series of interpretive panels so the visiting public would have a chance to learn about the local history, including the 1945 bridge. |
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Nathan Holth commented on BridgeHunter_1941
Based on some digging through MoDOT info, apparently the attached sign is located at the former site of this bridge. |
Actually, there are four signs at the bridge location.
The caption contains the text that is one the sign that Nathan found above.
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hmdb
Inscription. During the 19th century, travelers passing through Old Greenville had an important decision to make. How would they get across the St. Francis River? There was no bridge crossing the river required use of either the ferry or the ford. The firm gravel river bottom and wide shallow channel allowed travelers to safely use the ford for much of the year, However, during periods of high water and cold weather, fording the St. Francis River at Old Greenville was both impractical and dangerous. Cost was a factor for many travelers. The ford was free, but for a traveler on foot, the ferry cost an hours wages and for a four-horse team and wagon, the fare was an entire day's pay. Those who were unable to pay for the ferry could either turn back, wait for the river to fall, or risk their lives in the current. The earliest description of the river crossing was recorded by Henry R. Schoolcraft. In 1821, he published a journal describing his travels through the Ozarks in 1818-1819. On January 28, 1819, when Schoolcraft arrived on the opposite shore, rather than wade across the river, he chose to employ the ferry. However, he lacked the coins to pay the exact 10-cent fare and found that the slave operating the ferryboat had no change. In his journal, Schoolcraft noted that the ferryman solved their problem at a nearby oak stump "according to the Kentucky mode," where an ax was used to cut a 10-cent slice of silver from one of his half-dollar coins. The bridge was built here in 1892 for the WG&StL Railway. In 1899, that bridge collapsed beneath a log train. Wayne County contributed $750 to help the railroad build a replacement structure with a dual-use bridge deck that also allowed use by foot and wagon traffic. By 1908, that wooden 100' Howe truss bridge had deteriorated and public outcry compelled the railroad to replace it. The railroad acquired a used steel bridge (A) and set it on new concrete piers. That relocated steel Pratt truss railway bridge opened in 1909. The railroad steel bridge was not designed for dual use. So in 1911, the county contracted with Stupp Bros. Bridge & Iron co. of St.Louis for a separate county road bridge (B) remained in use until 1930. It was replaced by the State Highway Department who acquired the railroad's then abandoned steel bridge. The Highway Department widened that old steel truss by six feet and built new concrete approach spans and new road deck, converting the railway bridge for use by U. S. Highway 67 (C). The modified 20'-wide former railroad bridge (C), carried Route 67 over the St. Francis River from 1930 until 1941. In 1941, when a replacement at higher elevation became necessary, due to construction of the Wappapello Dam 20 miles downstream, a new bridge with a 170' Warren through truss main span was built (D). It remained in service for 70 years. The 1941 bridge was demolished in 2011, after completion of the current four-lane Route 67 Expressway Bridge (E). |
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| BridgeHunter_1941 |
They must have painted the steel girders white because the above looks like concrete girders but this construction photo shows that it used steel beams.
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| BridgeHunter_1941 |
A lot of falsework was needed to build the truss.
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| BridgeHunter_1941 |
The description on the above "Historical Wayne County, Missouri" post mentions "Old Greenville."
Greenville used to be down by the river. By the 1966 topo map, the town had been moved to its present location on a hill.
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| 1939/39 Greenville Quad @ 62,500 |
Some of the streets in Old Greenville are now used by an RV park.
2010 US-67 Bridge over Lake Wappapello, 4 lanes
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| 2011 photo by Rusty Weisman via BridgeHunter_1941 |
The contractor got permission to leave the pier columns of the 1941 bridge on the banks of the river.
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| Photo by James Baughn via BridgeHunter_1941 |
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