MoDOT: Route 160 Swan Creek Bridge at Forsyth in Taney County Available Free for Public Use

FORSYTH, TANEY COUNTY - The historic U.S. Route 160 Swan Creek bridge over Bull Shoals Lake in Forsyth, Missouri, is available for relocation and reuse by others. Any interested party is encouraged to submit a proposal by December 10, 2025, to the Missouri Department of Transportation's Historic Preservation Section to obtain the structure.

• Slated for an upcoming improvement project, this bridge can be obtained by government entities, historical or civic groups, or private citizens, free of charge. Details about the bridge 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 cost to remove the bridge, or any of its parts, is borne by the party obtaining the bridge.
• The Swan Creek Bridge at Forsyth is a 1951 Camelback through truss bridge with a total length of 444 feet 11 inches and a width of 25.7 feet.
• The Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) encouraged the State Department to construct a bridge of three continuous plate girder spans rather than the two truss spans planned. BPR also encouraged the department to widen the bridge to 26 feet to accommodate pedestrians. BPR provided the girder spans for consideration because they thought “that the appearance of the two high trusses places on the 4.306% grade will not be very pleasing and continues: ‘A deck girder structure will definitely minimize the effect of the grade and, in our opinion, satisfy the aesthetic requirements for this crossing.”’
• The Porter-Dewitt Construction Company of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was the low bidder in August 1951, with a bid of $422,028.53 plus 10% of the contract price, plus $599.60 for the non-contract price. The contractors received a notice to proceed in September 1952, and the project was completed on November 5, 1952.
• The bridge was determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places during consultation for the Bull Shoals Lake Bridges Programmatic Agreement, executed on November 12, 2014, and extended through June 2024. Bridge J0952 is eligible under Criteria A and C because of its association with the Bull Shoals Lake and Dam and because it is an uncommon late example of a Missouri State Highway Department through truss bridge.
• For more information about the bridge, please contact MoDOT’s Historic Preservation Section at (573) 526-4778, via email at co_historic_preservation@modot.mo.gov, or visit www.modot.org/freebridges.

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For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest

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