- Year constructed: 1899
- Alternate name: Des Moines River Bridge
- Bridge type: Pin-Connected Pennsylvania Through Truss
- National Register of Historic Places status: Listed
- Length: 253 feet
- Width: 15.1 feet
- Spans: 1
- FHWA: 184870
- Jurisdiction: Humboldt County
- Location: 215th Street over the Des Moines River, 1 mile west of Humboldt, Section 34, T92N-R29W (Rutland Township)
Details
According to county records, Mark Berkhimer and others petitioned the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors for a bridge at this site in 1892, but the petition was not granted. In 1898 a report recommending a bridge at this site was approved. Bids for construction of the bridge were received on June 6, 1899, with eight companies submitting proposals. Most of the bidders offered more than one design. The contract was awarded to the Clinton Bridge and Iron Works for $2,836 for their Plan #4, which called for a 170-foot truss with two 32-foot approaches. Apparently the bridge was finished later in the year. The Berkhimer Bridge is one of six through-truss bridges in the county and the only one with the Pennsylvania design. Pennsylvania through trusses are relatively rare in the state, and this particular bridge retains very good design integrity.
Adapted from Johnson 1992
Areas Served
- Humboldt