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RI Bridge #259.5

Concrete Encased I-Beam Bridge over Tributary of Big Creek
East of Pleasant Hill, Cass County, Missouri

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name RI Bridge #259.5
Built By Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Contractor Stubbs-Flick-Johnson Construction Company of Kansas City
Currently Owned By Missouri State Parks
Length 20 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Concrete Encased I-Beam
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1904
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Trail Bridge Built Overhead
RI Bridge Number 259.5
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date November 2019


View an article regarding the construction of this route.

Located southeast of Pleasant Hill, this small concrete encased beam bridge crosses an unnamed tributary of Big Creek just west of 203rd Street.
Built 1904, this bridge is a single encased beam span, set onto concrete abutments. It is believed that the bridge was erected by Stubbs-Flick-Johnson Construction Company of Kansas City.
After sitting abandoned for many years, the bridge was converted to a trail in 2016. It is not entirely known if this bridge is a slab, as a track profile suggests; or a concrete encased I-Beam, as historic reports suggest.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. As part of the conversion to a trail, a new steel stringer bridge was placed over the top of the existing bridge. It is likely this solution was cheaper than adding handrails or filling the existing bridge.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Construction of line
Contractor General contractor of construction of line
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele