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List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Did you know that some bridges and tunnels are so special they're considered historic treasures? In Arkansas, many of these amazing structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important parts of history and are protected so future generations can enjoy them. They show us how people built things long ago and how transportation has changed over time.

What Makes a Bridge Historic?

A bridge or tunnel becomes historic for many reasons. Maybe it was built using a special technique that was new at the time. Perhaps it's one of the oldest of its kind still standing. Or, it might have played a big role in connecting communities or helping people travel across the state. These structures are like giant outdoor museums, telling stories about Arkansas's past.

Different Kinds of Bridges

Bridges come in many shapes and sizes, each designed to handle different challenges. Here are some types you'll find in Arkansas:

Truss Bridges: Strong Frameworks

Many historic bridges in Arkansas are truss bridges. Imagine a giant erector set! These bridges use a framework of triangles, called a truss, to make them super strong. The triangles help spread out the weight, making the bridge stable.

  • Parker Truss: This type of truss bridge has a curved top, which helps it carry heavy loads.

* The AR 7/AR 51 Bridge in Arkadelphia, built in 1933, is a great example of a Parker through truss bridge. * The Cache River Bridge near Walnut Ridge, from 1934, is a Parker pony truss. A "pony truss" means the roadway is on top, and the truss structure doesn't go above the road. * The War Eagle Bridge in War Eagle, built in 1907, is another impressive Parker through truss.

  • Pratt Truss: This design uses diagonal beams that slope towards the center of the bridge.

* The Big Botton Slough Bridge in Magness, built in 1909, is a Pratt through truss. * The Illinois River Bridge in Pedro, built in 1922, is a Pratt through truss.

  • Warren Truss: This type uses a series of equilateral triangles.

* The Big Piney Creek Bridge in Hagersville, from 1931, is a Warren through truss. * The Judsonia Bridge in Judsonia, built in 1924, is a Warren swing through truss. A swing bridge can rotate to let boats pass! * The Newport Bridge in Newport, built in 1930, is a Warren cantilever bridge. A cantilever bridge is built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end.

Arch Bridges: Graceful Curves

Arch bridges are known for their beautiful, curved shapes. They push weight outwards, which makes them very strong.

  • Rainbow Arch: These bridges have a distinctive arch shape that looks like a rainbow.

* The Cotter Bridge in Cotter, built in 1930, is a famous rainbow arch bridge. It's a true landmark!

Cotter Bridge
The beautiful Cotter Bridge, a rainbow arch design.
  • Closed-Spandrel Arch: These arches have solid walls above the curve.

* The Cane Hill Road Bridge near Prairie Grove, from 1923, is a closed-spandrel arch. * The Edgemere Street Bridge in North Little Rock is another example of a closed spandrel deck arch.

  • Open-Spandrel Arch: Unlike closed-spandrel arches, these have open spaces or columns above the arch.

* The Harp Creek Bridge near Jasper, built in 1928, is an open spandrel deck arch.

Suspension Bridges: Hanging Strong

Suspension bridges hang their roadway from cables stretched between tall towers. They are often used for very long spans.

  • The Beaver Bridge in Beaver, built in 1949, is a suspension bridge. It's sometimes called the "Golden Gate of Arkansas"!
    Eurekaandsuch 327d
    The Beaver Bridge, a suspension bridge in Arkansas.
  • The Haggard Ford Swinging Bridge near Harrison, built around 1938, is a wire-cable suspension bridge. It's a fun one to walk across!
  • The Sylamore Creek Bridge in Allison, from 1945, is also a wire-cable suspension bridge.

Tunnels: Paths Through Mountains

Besides bridges, some tunnels are also historic. They are amazing feats of engineering, allowing roads or trains to pass through solid rock.

  • The Cotter Tunnel in Cotter, built in 1903, is a historic tunnel.
  • The Cricket and Crest Tunnels Historic District near Omaha, also from 1903, includes a group of historic tunnels.
  • The Pyatt Tunnel in Pyatt, built in 1903, is another example of a historic tunnel.

Notable Historic Structures

Let's look at a few more cool bridges and tunnels that are part of Arkansas's history:

  • The Amboy Overpass in North Little Rock, built in 1941, is an important overpass.
  • The Cove Lake Spillway Dam-Bridge near Corley, from 1937, is a unique rustic structure that combines a dam and a bridge.
    Cove Lake Spillway Dam-Bridge
    The unique Cove Lake Spillway Dam-Bridge.
  • The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge in West Memphis, built in 1949, is a massive Warren truss bridge that connects Arkansas to Tennessee across the Mississippi River.
    Memphis, Harahan, and Hernando de Soto Bridges
    The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge (left) connecting Arkansas and Tennessee.
  • The Springfield Bridge in Springfield, built in 1891, is a rare tubular bowstring arch bridge.
    Springfield Bridge
    The historic Springfield Bridge.

Bridges That Are No Longer There

Sadly, some historic bridges are no longer standing. They were important in their time but have since been removed, often because they were too old or a new bridge was needed. Even though they are gone, their history is still remembered. For example, the North Fork Bridge in Norfork, a Warren deck truss built in 1937, was demolished in 2014. The White River Bridge in Clarendon, built in 1930, was also demolished in 2019.

These historic bridges and tunnels are more than just ways to get from one place to another. They are monuments to human ingenuity and a reminder of the past. They help us understand how Arkansas grew and developed.

Images for kids

  • Amboy Overpass

    Amboy Overpass

  • Highway 7 and Highway 51 bridge in Arkadelphia, AR 002

    AR 7/AR 51 Bridge

  • Arkansas Highway 57 Bridge

    AR 57 Bridge

  • State Highway 96 Bridge

    AR 96 Bridge

  • Big Bottom Slough Bridge (a.k.a. Padgett Island Bridge)

    Big Bottom Slough Bridge

  • Big Piney Creek Bridge

    Big Piney Creek Bridge

  • Buffalo River Bridge

    Buffalo River Bridge

  • Cache River Bridge

    Cache River Bridge

  • Cane Hill Road Bridge

    Cane Hill Road Bridge

  • Cannon Creek Bridge 002

    Cannon Creek Bridge

  • Cedar Creek Bridge, Petit Jean State Park

    Cedar Creek Bridge

  • Central Avenue Bridge

    Central Avenue Bridge

  • Coon Creek Bridge

    Coon Creek Bridge

  • Coop Creek Bridge

    Coop Creek Bridge

  • Cotter Bridge

    Cotter Bridge

  • Van Buren County Road 2E Bridge

    County Road 2E Bridge

  • Sebastian County Road 4G Bridge

    County Road 4G Bridge

  • County Road 6 Bridge

    County Road 6 Bridge

  • Cove Creek Bridge

    Cove Creek Bridge (Corley, Arkansas)

  • Cove Creek Tributary Bridge

    Cove Creek Tributary Bridge

  • Cricket and Crest Tunnels

    Cricket and Crest Tunnels

  • Crooked Creek Bridge, Pyatt, AR

    Crooked Creek Bridge

  • Crowley's Ridge State Park-Bridge

    Crowley's Ridge State Park-Bridge

  • Edgemere Street Bridge

    Edgemere Street Bridge

  • Evansville-Dutch Mills Road Bridge

    Evansville-Dutch Mills Road Bridge

  • Fourche Lafave Bridge, Spanning Fourche Lafave River at State Highway 7, Nimrod vicinity (Perry County, Arkansas)

    Fourche Lafave Bridge

  • Frog Bayou Bridge, near Mountainburg, AR

    Frog Bayou Bridge

  • Goff Farm Road Bridge 002

    Goff Farm Stone Bridge

  • Hackett Creek Bridge

    Hackett Creek Bridge

  • Web-Bridge-Haddard-Ford-Swinging-20130819 0209

    Haggard Ford Swinging Bridge

  • Hale Creek Bridge

    Hale Creek Bridge

  • Harp Creek Bridge, Spans Harp Creek at State Highway 7, Harrison vicinity (Newton County, Arkansas)

    Harp Creek Bridge

  • Highway B-29 Bridge

    Highway B-29 Bridge

  • Pedro Bridge 2

    Illinois River Bridge

  • Illinois River Bridge, Siloam Springs

    Illinois River Bridge

  • Illinois River Bridge at Phillips Ford

    Illinois River Bridge at Phillips Ford

  • Judsonia Bridge

    Judsonia Bridge

  • Lafayette Street Overpass

    Lafayette Street Overpass

  • Lake Catherine State Park-Bridge No. 2

    Lake Catherine State Park-Bridge No. 2

  • Lake No. 1 Bridge

    Lake Bridge No. 1

  • Lakeshore Drive Bridge

    Lakeshore Drive Bridge

  • Lee Creek Bridge

    Lee Creek Bridge (Natural Dam)

  • Lee Creek Bridge, Van Buren Arkansas, Detail 4, west end

    Lee Creek Bridge (Van Buren)

  • Lincoln Avenue Viaduct Little Rock Arkansas

    Lincoln Avenue Viaduct

  • Little Buffalo River Bridge, 1 of 2

    Little Buffalo River Bridge

  • Little Cossatot River Bridge

    Little Cossatot River Bridge

  • Little Cypress Creek Bridge

    Lyttle Cypress Creek Bridge

  • Little Missouri River Bridge

    Little Missouri River Bridge

  • Main Street Bridge, New Blaine, AR

    Main Street Bridge

  • Maple Street Overpass (Fayetteville, Arkansas)

    Maple Street Overpass

  • McNeely Creek Bridge

    McNeely Creek Bridge

  • Middle Fork of the Little Red River Bridge

    Middle Fork of the Little Red River Bridge

  • Miller Creek Bridge, Spanning Miller Creek at Miller Creek Road (CR 86), Batesville vicinity (Independence County, Arkansas)

    Miller Creek Bridge

  • Milltown Bridge

    Milltown Bridge

  • Mountain Fork Bridge

    Mountain Fork Bridge

  • Mulberry Bridge, Franklin County, Arkansas

    Mulberry River Bridge

  • Mulberry River Bridge

    Mulberry River Bridge

  • Mulladay Hollow Bridge

    Mulladay Hollow Bridge

  • Newport Bridge (Arkansas)

    Newport Bridge

  • LOOKING EAST, PARTIAL VIEW OF STEEL DECK TRUSS BRIDGE FROM ADJACENT RAILROAD BRIDGE PIER - North Fork Bridge, Spans North Fork of White River at State Highway 5, Norfork, Baxter HAER ARK,3-NORF,1-5

    North Fork Bridge

  • Old Highway 16 Bridge

    Old AR 16 Bridge

  • Old River Bridge

    Old River Bridge

  • Osage Creek Bridge

    Osage Creek Bridge

  • Petitjeanth

    Petit Jean#3 bridge

  • Petit Jean River Bridge

    Petit Jean River Bridge

  • Petit Jean State Park 011

    Petit Jean State Park-Concrete Log Bridge

  • Petit Jean State Park-Culvert No. 1

    Petit Jean State Park-Culvert No. 1

  • Sanitarium Lake Bridge

    Sanitarium Lake Bridge

  • Shady Lake CCC Bridge No 1

    Shady Lake CCC Bridge No. 1

  • Shady Lake CCC Bridge No 2

    Shady Lake CCC Bridge No. 2

  • Short Mountain Creek Bridge

    Short Mountain Creek Bridge

  • GENERAL VIEW OF BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTHWEST - South Fork Bridge, Spans South Fork of Saline River, adjacent to State Highway 128, Fountain Lake, Garland County, AR HAER ARK,26-FOLA.V,1-4

    South Fork Bridge

  • South Fourche LaFave River Bridge

    South Fourche LaFave River Bridge

  • Spring Lake Bridge

    Spring Lake Bridge

  • Spring River Bridge

    Spring River Bridge

  • St. Francis River Bridge, Lake City

    St. Francis River Bridge

  • St. Francis River Bridge, Madison

    St. Francis River Bridge

  • St. Louis - San Francisco Bridge, Spanning Spring River at U.S. Highway 62, Imboden (Lawrence County, Arkansas)

    St. Louis-San Francisco Overpass

  • Sylamore Creek Bridge

    Sylamore Creek Bridge

  • Twin Bridges Historic District

    Twin Bridges Historic District

  • US 62 White River Bridge

    US 62 White River Bridge

  • U.S. 64 Horsehead Creek Bridge

    US 64 Horsehead Creek Bridge

  • US 67 Bridge over Little Missouri River

    US 67 Bridge over Little Missouri River

  • AR-66 Nimrod Bridge (Wallace Bridge)(15371)

    Wallace Bridge

  • HAER War Eagle Bridge sideshot

    War Eagle Bridge

  • WarEagleCreekBridgeHuntsvilleAR2

    War Eagle Creek Bridge

  • Wards crossing1

    Ward's Crossing Bridge

  • Woolsey Bridge oblique view

    Woolsey Bridge

  • Waterside Street Bridge

    Waterside Street Bridge

  • West James Avenue Bridge

    West James Street Overpass

  • Highway 79 Bridge

    Highway 79 Bridge

  • Elkins White River Bridge 002

    White River Bridge at Elkins

  • GENERAL VIEW OF BRIDGE, LOOKING NORTH - Augusta Bridge, Spanning White River at Highway 64, Augusta, Woodruff County, AR HAER ARK,74-AUG,1-3

    Augusta Bridge

  • Black River Bridge, Spanning Black River at U.S. Highway 67, Pocahontas (Randolph County, Arkansas)

    Black River Bridge

  • 3-4 VIEW, LOOKING NORTH, SHOWING BRIDGE PARAPETS AND RECENT INFILLING BY BULLDOZER (SCALE ROD IS MEASURED IN FEET) - Jenny Lind Bridge, Spanning Vache Grasse Creek tributary at HAER ARK,66-JELI.V,1-2

    Jenny Lind Bridge

See also: List of bridges in Arkansas
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List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.