This unique through truss bridge crosses the Little Blue River near the former town of Selsa.
Now located in Independence, the bridge consists of an 8-panel riveted Warren Through Truss.
Normally riveted warren through trusses aren't anything overly special. However, this bridge is a prime example of the advancements Lassig Bridge & Iron Works made to the engineering community.
Pin connected spans (and normally of a Pratt configuration) are normally seen on many railroad trusses prior to 1905. However, this truss was an early structure to have riveted connections.
In addition, the bridge rests on stone abutments built in 1878, the southern of which was encased in concrete in 1923.
The 1900 date is common along this line. It appears that the Chicago & Alton did a huge amount of upgrades during this time frame, including the Missouri River Bridge located at Glasgow.
Overall, the bridge is a very good example of early riveted connections. Because of this, the author has ranked it as being regionally significant.
Fortunately, with the development of this area, a trail network has been built under the north side of the bridge. The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Abandoned Little Blue River Bridge |
| Downstream | UP Little Blue River Bridge (Raytown) |