Morton Bridge
Bridge Location
County: Ray
Road: E 114 Street or Landing Road
Feature Crossed: Crooked River
Other location Information: near Morton Bridge Public Fishing Access, Missouri Department of Conservation
Structure Number or County Bridge Number: 25700161
Bridge Information
Owner: Ray County, Missouri
Type: Pin connected, 6 panel, Pratt through truss
Length: 162.0 feet total; 102 foot main span
Deck Width: 10.8 feet
Year Built: 1889
Builder: Wrought Iron Bridge Co., Canton, Ohio
Current Load Rating: 3 Ton
History of Modifications, Rehabilitations: Stone piers have been replaced with concrete block piers and the structure has been reinforced.
Other Comments: wooden decking
For further information and proposal submissions, contact:
Name: Bob King, Ray County Presiding Commissioner, 816-773-4507
Address: 100 West Main Street, Richmond, MO 64085
Telephone: 816-773-4507
Bridge No. 25700161 is a pin-connected, 6 panel, Pratt through truss bridge with wooden decking. The two approach spans are multi-band fixed metal stringers. The bridge is a total of 162 feet long, with a 102 foot span. The deck width is 10.8 feet and the vertical clearance of 13 feet. It rests on concrete block piers.
The bridge was built in 1889 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, a company established in 1864. Its most frequently produced items were the fairly short span iron truss bridges that were fabricated in its factory and then shipped by rialto the station closest to their ultimate site. Local contractors then assembled the bridge.
The bridge is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C - Engineering at a local level. The bridge is a good example of a Pratt through truss bridge, a type of bridge advertised in the Wrought Iron Bridge Company’s 1882 catalogue as the “most universally adopted for both railway and highway bridges of medium span.”
The Ray County Commission is now accepting proposals for the relocation and reuse of the bridge or its components until June 15, 2022. Information about the bridge is available from Bob King, Ray County Presiding Commissioner at 200 West Main Street, Richmond, MO 64085, 816-773-4507 or at raycountycommisssioners@yahoo.com. Preservation covenants may accompany the bridge.