BNSF 3rd Street Bridge (Fort Scott)

Fort Scott, Bourbon County, Kansas

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Overview
North abutment
North span
Date stamp
South pier
South approach
South abutment

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Overview
North abutment
North span
Date stamp
South pier
South approach
South abutment
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Name BNSF 3rd Street Bridge (Fort Scott)
St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Bridge #98.8
Built By St. Louis-San Francisco Railway
Currently Owned By BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor Unknown
Length 67 Feet Total, 40 Foot Main Span
Width 2 Tracks
Height Above Ground 11 Feet 6 Inches
Superstructure Design Steel Stringer
Substructure Design Concrete and Steel Bent
Date Built 1925
Traffic Count 20 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
St. Louis–San Francisco Railway Bridge Number 98.8
BNSF Railway Bridge Number 98.8
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date 3/3/2017

In 1868, the Kansas & Neosho Valley Railroad would construct a 21 mile railroad from Kansas City, Missouri to Olathe, Kansas.  The same year, the name would be changed to the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad (MRFS&G).  In 1869, an additional 79 miles to Fort Scott, Kansas would be constructed, followed by 53 miles to Baxter Springs, Kansas in 1870.  The route closely paralleled the Missouri/Kansas border.  The MRFS&G would be sold to the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad in 1869.  The railroad would eventually be reorganized into the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis Railroad (KCFS&M).  The KCFS&M constructed a 13 mile extension to Miami, Oklahoma in 1896, followed by an additional 13 miles to Afton, Oklahoma in 1901.  The KCFS&M would be leased by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco) and reorganized as the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis Railway in 1901.  This route served as one of two main connections between Kansas City and the Frisco mainline between St. Louis and Dallas, Texas.  The Frisco absorbed the KCFS&M in 1928. The Frisco would build and acquire a respectable railroad network in the south central United States, with significant connections through Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.  The Frisco was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1980.  BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996 to form BNSF Railway.  BNSF currently operates the Fort Scott Subdivision between Kansas City and Fort Scott, as well as the Afton Subdivision between Fort Scott and Afton.  The route continues to serve as a critical mainline for BNSF.

Located in Fort Scott, this steel stringer bridge crosses 3rd Street. Built in 1925, the bridge consists of a 40-foot steel stringer span, approached by a 15-foot span and a 12-foot span. The bridge is set onto steel bents and concrete abutments. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Build Date Date Stamp
Railroad History Citation ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele