MILAN, Mo. – Your time is almost up to apply for a free bridge from the Missouri Department of Transportation. MoDOT is accepting proposals until the end of this year for the reuse of the seven panel Pratt pony truss bridge on Route PP just 0.25 miles east of Route 139 in Sullivan County.
The bridge was rebuilt by Callihan & Wallmar and Carl Partin in 1955, but the original fabricator is unknown. The one-lane bridge is 255 feet long, 14.5 feet wide and boasts a 63-foot steel girder span and 128-foot pony truss. It will be replaced with a new and wider bridge in 2019 or 2020.
The bridge is considered historic because it is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to its local significance in transportation and engineering.
Because of that eligibility, federal law requires any state proposing demolition of a historic bridge to first make it available for donation to a state, locality or responsible private entity. The bridge can be obtained by government entities, historical or civic groups, or private citizens, free of charge. The cost to remove the bridge or any of its parts is borne by the party obtaining the bridge.
Individuals and organizations interested in taking all or part of the bridge are invited to submit a proposal for reuse.
Proposals are due by December 31, 2018. Details about the bridge, as well as information about reusing a bridge or making a reuse proposal, can be found on MoDOT's Free Bridges website at https://www.modot.org/historic-bridge-east-medicine-creek-bridge.
For questions or additional information, please contact Senior Historic Preservation Specialisty Karen Daniels at 573-526-7346
or karen.daniels@modot.mo.gov.
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