Bridge (FHWA 055380)

• Year Constructed:  1949
• Bridge type:  Rigid-Connected Camelback Through Truss
• National Register of Historic Places Status:  Eligible
• Length:  244 feet
• Width:  16.0 feet
• Spans:  3
• FHWA:  055380
• Jurisdiction (and direct contact, email phone):  Adair County, Nick Kauffman, engineer@adaircountyiowa.org
• Location: 300th Street over West Fork Nodaway River
• Sections: 16
• Township: 74 North
• Range: 33 West

Details

The bridge (FHWA 055380) is a standard example of a rare bridge type. Twelve similar bridges are extant in Iowa, with only six (including the bridge under review) being a true camelback through truss structure with rivet and bolt connections.. The exact construction date of the potentially oldest example of this bridge type is unknown and the longest example of this bridge type is the youngest. Therefore, there are only three camelback through truss bridges using rivet and pin connections, with known construction dates, in Iowa. All three were built between 1949 and 1951, with the bridge constructed in 1949. While an archival review of the bridge did not definitively return any significant events surrounding the bridge, the bridge is in good condition and demonstrates a specific structural type unique to this period. The bridge has maintained historic integrity, being in the same construction location and a continued rural setting. Similarly, the bridge has not been altered since construction, and the superstructure of the bridge is in relatively good condition, preserving the original design and materials. Because the bridge is a unique type with few remaining similar examples, all of which are younger than the current bridge, the bridge is eligible for the NRHP under Criteria C for embodying distinctive characteristics of a type within a specific period.