Jefferson Street Viaduct facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jefferson Street Viaduct
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | Jefferson Street over the Des Moines River, Ottumwa, Iowa |
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| Built | 1935–1936 |
| Architect | Iowa State Highway Commission |
| Architectural style | Warren deck truss bridge |
| MPS | Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 98000475 |
| Added to NRHP | May 15, 1998 |
The Jefferson Street Viaduct is an old and important bridge in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It's a special type of bridge called a riveted Warren deck truss bridge. Workers finished building it in 1936. This bridge is so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. This list helps protect special places in the country.
Contents
Building the Jefferson Street Bridge
People in Ottumwa, Iowa started talking about building a new bridge over the Des Moines River way back in 1921. The city already had two bridges. But these old bridges were better for farms, not for the big factories and industries in Ottumwa. The city needed a stronger, wider bridge for heavy traffic.
City leaders met with different railroad companies. This new bridge, called a viaduct, would go over their train tracks. They drew up plans, but the project stopped for a while.
Planning the New Bridge
In 1929, Edwin Manning became mayor of Ottumwa. He worked for seven years to make the new bridge a reality. Mayor Manning contacted the Iowa State Highway Commission (ISHC). He asked them to help design the bridge and pay for part of it.
In January 1934, the ISHC agreed to share the costs with the city. Two companies were paid to create designs for the bridge. One company designed a steel bridge. Another company designed a concrete bridge.
Choosing the Design
In December 1934, companies sent in their bids to build the bridge. One company won the bid for the concrete design. Another company won the bid for the steel design.
The city council and Mayor Manning chose the concrete design. This design was more expensive. The city promised to pay the extra costs. However, in 1935, the agreements between the city and the ISHC were found to be illegal. The contract for the concrete bridge was canceled.
The ISHC then took full control of the project. They also took over all the financing. The ISHC chose the less expensive steel design.
Construction and Opening
Workers built the bridge in just 15 months. Construction happened in 1935 and 1936. The bridge officially opened on May 28, 1936.
Iowa Governor Clyde Herring and Mayor Manning led the opening ceremony. About 15,000 people came to celebrate the new bridge.
For many years, the bridge carried traffic for U.S. Route 34 and U.S. Route 63. Later, a new bridge was built for these highways. In 1983 and 1984, the Jefferson Street Viaduct was repaired and updated. Its original railings were replaced with new safety barriers.
Bridge Design
The Jefferson Street Viaduct is a very long bridge. It has a total of nine main sections and eight smaller sections leading up to it.
Truss Bridge Features
The south side of the main bridge has four special sections. These are called riveted Warren deck trusses. A truss is a strong framework, usually made of triangles. The north side has five more sections. These are called cantilevered Warren deck truss spans. They go over the river.
Using this type of "deck truss" design is quite rare in Iowa. The main sections of the bridge are about 150 feet (46 meters) long. The entire bridge is about 2,120.5 feet (646 meters) long. That's almost half a mile! The road on the bridge is 33 feet (10 meters) wide.
