Mears Memorial Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mears Memorial Bridge |
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View of bridge shortly after completion in 1923
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| Coordinates | 64°34′02″N 149°04′43″W / 64.5670978°N 149.0786362°W |
| Carries | Single track of Alaska Railroad |
| Crosses | Tanana River |
| Locale | Nenana, Alaska |
| Owner | Alaska Railroad |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Simple truss bridge (Pennsylvania through truss) |
| Material | Steel |
| Longest span | 700 feet (210 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Modjeski and Angier |
| Constructed by | American Bridge Company |
| Opened | February 1923 |
The Mears Memorial Bridge is a very important bridge in Alaska. It is a special type of bridge called a truss bridge. This bridge carries the Alaska Railroad across the Tanana River in Nenana. When it was finished in 1923, it was one of the longest truss bridges in the world! It is about 700-foot-long (210 m).
Building the Mears Memorial Bridge
The Mears Memorial Bridge is named after Colonel Frederick Mears. He was a very important engineer. He helped build the Alaska Railroad.
This bridge was the last part of the railroad to be built. It opened in February 1923. The rest of the railroad, which is about 470 miles (760 km) long, was finished a year earlier.
A company called Modjeski and Angier designed the bridge. The American Bridge Company built it. When it was completed, this 700-foot-long (210 m) bridge was the longest truss bridge in the United States.
Even today, this bridge is still the longest bridge span of any kind in Alaska. In 1999, it was the third-longest simple truss bridge in North America.
A Presidential Visit
President Warren G. Harding was the first United States president to visit Alaska. He traveled to the state to celebrate the bridge's completion. On July 15, 1923, he drove the ceremonial last spike at the north end of the bridge. This was one of President Harding's last public appearances.
See also
- Juneau–Douglas Bridge, the next longest bridge span in Alaska
