SIKESTON –The historic Route 34 Leeper bridge over Black River in Wayne County and the Business 60 Poplar Bluff Viaduct bridge over Black River and Union Pacific railroad in Butler County are available for relocation and reuse by others. Any interested party is encouraged to submit a proposal no later than June 30, 2020, to the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Historic Preservation Section to obtain either structure.
Slated for replacement, these bridges can be obtained by government entities, historical or civic groups, or private citizens, free of charge. Details about both bridges can be viewed online at www.modot.org/freebridges. Anyone interested in obtaining a historic bridge must submit a detailed proposal describing the dismantling and relocation plan, cost and future use. A proposal checklist is available online.
The Route 34 Leeper bridge was constructed in 1933 and is a 12-span bridge with eight steel girder approach spans, two 120 foot Pratt through trusses and two 180 foot Parker through trusses. The bridge has a 22-foot wide concrete deck with concrete curbs and two tier channel railing. The bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under criterion C for local significance in engineering.
The Poplar Bluff Viaduct is a 1934 deck truss (129 feet) with seven steel stringer approach spans. The deck truss is a six-panel warren web truss. The bridge has a 4-foot wide concrete deck, with a 32-foot roadway and sidewalks cantilevered on both sides. There are concrete baluster railings on the edges of the sidewalks. The Poplar Bluff Viaduct is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C for local significance in transportation as an example of a New Deal funded grade separation and as an unusual example of a multi-span urban viaduct and for engineering as an example of a deck truss--an unusual truss in Missouri.
For more information about the bridges, please contact Senior Historic Preservation Specialist Karen Daniels at (573) 526-7346 or Karen.Daniels@modot.mo.gov or visit www.modot.org/freebridges.
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