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Willow Branch Trail Bridge (Strasburg)

Deck Plate Girder Bridge over Willow Branch
South of Strasburg, Cass County, Missouri

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Willow Branch Trail Bridge (Strasburg)
Built By Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
Contractor American Bridge Company of New York
Contractor Stubbs-Flick-Johnson Construction Company of Kansas City
Currently Owned By Missouri State Parks
Length 30 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Type Concrete
Date Built 1903-4
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Trail Bridge Built Over Bridge
RI Bridge Number 258.0
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date November 2019


View an article regarding the construction of this route.

Located a few miles south of Strasburg, this small deck girder bridge crosses Willow Branch east of Parris Road.
Built 1903-4, the bridge consists of a single deck girder span, set onto concrete substructures. The girder was fabricated by American Bridge Company, and 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. While the trail does not actually use the historic structure, a new beam bridge was built just over the top of the old railroad bridge. As a result, the railroad bridge is largely unaltered.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, other than minor cosmetic details.

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 Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele