The Washington Bridge was a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

over the Missouri River at

Washington, Missouri Washington is a city on the south banks of the Missouri River, 50 miles west of St. Louis, Missouri, and the largest in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The estimated population in July 2021 was 14,916, an increase of 7% since the 2010 ...

over which Route 47 passed between Franklin County, Missouri and

Warren County, Missouri Warren County is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,513. The county is located on the north side of the Missouri River. Its county seat is Warrenton. The count ...

. It has also been known as the Route 47 Missouri River Bridge. The bridge was built in 1934. Its main span was and it had a total length of and a deck width of . Its vertical clearance was . The bridge carried one lane of automobile traffic in each direction.

2007 inspection and subsequent replacement

The Missouri Department of Transportation shut down the bridge at 7:30 am on August 11, 2007, claiming to have discovered problems during regularly scheduled inspections. As the bridge is similar to the I-35W Mississippi River bridge which collapsed in Minnesota, locals have speculated that the inspection and closure were related to this incident. This resulted in a 60 mile (100 km) round-trip detour to the nearest open crossing over the Missouri river. The bridge was soon reopened, but was again intermittently closed in the following weeks. MoDOT eventually completed a rehabilitation project in 2008 and 2009 as a stopgap measure until funding could be identified to replace the bridge. Construction on a replacement bridge, located just to the west of the old bridge, began in 2016. The new bridge features wider lanes, shoulders, and a pedestrian path which will open in spring 2019. The new bridge opened to traffic on Monday, December 3, 2018. The old bridge was demolished by explosives on April 11, 2019.

References

External links

Bridgehunter.com profileMoDot site on new bridge
{{coord, 38.5579, -90.9981, type:landmark_region:US-MO, display=title Buildings and structures in Franklin County, Missouri Buildings and structures in Warren County, Missouri Bridges completed in 1934 Road bridges in Missouri Cantilever bridges in the United States Truss bridges in the United States 1934 establishments in Missouri

2007 inspection and subsequent replacement

See also

References

External links