Year constructed: 1937
Bridge type: Rigid-Connected 3-Hinge Deck Arch
National Register of Historic Places status: Listed
Length: 322 feet
Width: 23.9 feet
Spans: 1
FHWA: 226430
Jurisdiction: Lucas County
Location: County Road S23 over Burlington Northern Railroad, 4.3 miles northwest of Chariton, Sections 14 & 15, T72N-R22W (White Breast Township)
Details
In the 1930s the Iowa State Highway Commission designed a handful of steel arch structures to function as grade separations in various locations in the state. One of these structures was this overpass over the Burlington Northern Railroad in central Lucas County. For this crossing the commission in 1936 drew up a single-span, three-hinge arch supported by concrete arch pedestals. The highway commission designated the project WPGS-620 and let a contract for its construction to Ben Cole and Son of Ames, Iowa. The overpass was completed and accepted by the highway commission in June 1937. It has since carried traffic in essentially unaltered condition. Until recently the last two steel arch overpasses in the state were located in Lucas and Clinton counties. The Clinton County arch has been replaced, leaving the Lucas County structure as the last remaining example of this bridge design trend. It is thus significant as a rare example of ISHC aesthetics and a unique structural type in the state [adapted from Fraser 1992].