A historic bridge at Sinking Creek in Shannon County is the latest in the effort to save the architectural features no longer able to serve their original purpose.
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration have made ongoing efforts to find new uses for bridges like Sinking Creek, said Mike Meinkoth, MoDOT historic preservation manager.
As Historic Bridge Month, November offered a chance to showcase Missouri's unique bridge resources.
At BridgeHunter.com, historic and notable bridges across the nation are chronicled. The website lists 31 bridges in Cole County, 11 of which no longer exist and about six of which are no longer used for their original purposes.
Some of the more historic bridges still standing include Ballpark Bridge, a stone arch bridge over Wears Creek in Washington Park; Frog Hollow Road Bridge, a one-lane, concrete arch built in 1915; and the Wears Creek Railroad Bridge, a stone arch northwest of the Capitol for the Union Pacific Railroad.
Some of the bridges now gone include the T-beam Chestnut Street overpass built in 1959; the First Jefferson City Bridge, a swing bridge opened in 1896 and demolished in 1955; the Jefferson Street Bridge, a stone arch built in 1857 by William Davison, replaced with a concrete culvert in 1988; and the Hubers Landing Bridge, a vertical-lift bridge with a wooden deck spanning the Osage River.
Many historic bridges, like those above, have been lost for lack of a home. However, there are hopes of finding a new use for the Current River's Sinking Creek Bridge.
The many consulting parties on this project include the State Historic Preservation Office, the National Park Service's Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Missouri State Parks, Shannon County, the Historic Bridge Foundation, Pioneer Forest organization and HistoricBridges.org.
"The proposed bridge reuse will have to conform to National Park Service ... general management," Meinkoth said. "It is also likely that if a proposal for reuse of Sinking Creek Bridge is accepted, the new owners will only receive the bridge and the property in which it is situated."
However, the assessment is still ongoing for where the new road will go. If it turns out the existing alignment is the most reasonable and prudent alternative, the historic bridge will be demolished, Meinkoth explained.
So, for now, MoDOT is looking for individuals, organizations or businesses who might have a proposed reuse for the historic bridge in its current location.
Federal law requires any state proposing demolition of a historic bridge involved in a bridge replacement project using federal funds to "first make the historic bridge available for donation to a state, locality, or responsible private entity" providing certain conditions are met, the MoDOT website said.
Several other historic bridges, eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and available for relocation, are listed at MoDOT's website. They include Champ Clark Bridge on U.S. 54 crossing the Mississippi River in Pike County near Louisiana, Withington Ford Bridge crossing the Meramec River in Franklin County and Forsyth Bridge in Taney County crossing the White River.
Up to 80 percent of what would have been spent on demolition costs potentially is available to reimburse recipients for reusing them. This funding is primarily available if the recipient is removing the bridge from its current location themselves.
Typically, MoDOT gives away a bridge - to be moved and relocated - but not in this case, said Rusty Weisman, senior historic preservation specialist.
"The Sinking Creek Bridge needs to be replaced primarily because it is functionally obsolete - the deck is just too narrow," Weisman said.
The 90-year-old, 338-foot-long bridge on Route 19 north of Eminence also has some structural deficiencies, such as spalling concrete, he said.
"As a matter of public policy, MoDOT and the highway administration believe that it is preferable not to destroy a historically-significant structure like this - at considerable public expense - if it can be repurposed," Weisman said.
A pedestrian trail would be a good use, given its exceptional location between the Ozark National Scenic Riverway and the new Camp Zoe State Park, he said.
"However, we're also open to imaginative possibilities," Weisman said. "The bridge might make a nice foundation for a store, restaurant, campground, motel, canoe livery or even a house."
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