The Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge is a network tied arch bridge over the Missouri River on U.S. Route 59 between Atchison, Kansas and Buchanan County, Missouri. It opened in December 2012, replacing a previous truss bridge with the same name.
Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 39°33′34″N 95°06′49″W / 39.5594°N 95.1136°W |
| Carries |  US 59 |
| Crosses | Missouri River |
| Locale | Atchison County, Kansas and Buchanan County, Missouri |
| Maintained by | Kansas Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | network tied arch bridge[1] |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | approximately 2,500 feet (760 m)[2] |
| Longest span | 527 feet (161 m)[2] |
| History | |
| Designer | HNTB[2] |
| Construction cost | $59.4M (US$78,830,000 with inflation[3])[1] |
| Opened | December 2012 |
| Replaces | Amelia Earhart Bridge (see below) |
| Location | |
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(old) Amelia Earhart Bridge | |
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 The Amelia Earhart Bridge (taller, in background) in 2006. The lower bridge in the foreground is a rail bridge. | |
| Coordinates | 39°33′35″N 95°06′46″W / 39.5597°N 95.1129°W |
| Carries | US 59 |
| Crosses | Missouri River |
| Locale | Atchison County, Kansas and Buchanan County, Missouri |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilevered Truss bridge |
| Total length | 2,571.2 feet (783.7 m) |
| Longest span | 419.8 feet (128.0 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1939 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Location | |
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The bridge is decorated with LED lighting which can be programmed to change for various functions. Pictures of the bridge with its arch lights in red, white, blue giving the illusion of a fluttering American flag when reflected in the Missouri River is widely circulated in social media.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
History edit
Plans for replacement of the old bridge with a new four-lane span with 10 foot shoulders were announced in the fall of 2007 by KDOT and MoDOT with construction slated on a new bridge for 2009–2011.[needs update] The bridge was designed by HNTB.[2]
Because of the Missouri River flood during the summer and fall of 2011, construction was stopped. Work on the bridge was started again toward the end of 2011. The bridge's arch was built on-site, rather than barged in like some tied-arch bridges, and completed on June 14, 2012.[10] The new bridge was opened to traffic in December 2012.
Previous bridge edit
The previous, 2-lane, cantilever bridge was built in 1937–1938 by the Works Progress Administration. It was designed by Sverdrup & Parcel. The bridge was originally named the Mo-Kan Free Bridge because it did not charge a toll (the adjacent railroad bridge served as a crossing for rail traffic as well as cars and pedestrians prior to the construction of the free bridge). The bridge was renamed for aviator Amelia Earhart, a native of Atchison, in 1997 to honor the centennial of her birth in Atchison. The illumination along the trusses and xenon spotlights that shine straight up into the sky from the top of the bridge's two peaks were installed and debuted during the Amelia Earhart Centennial Celebration on July 24, 1997.
The bridge was the topic of a preservation debate on whether to replace it with a new four-lane bridge or to keep it and build a second bridge. The old bridge was demolished on October 9, 2013 using linear shaped charges.[11]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Amelia Earhart Bridge". MoDOT. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Amelia Earhart Bridge". HNTB. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "This bridge's lights reflect the American flag". 8 December 2015.
- ^ "Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge".
- ^ "Bridge lights reflecting in the Missouri River - Picture of Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge, Atchison - Tripadvisor".
- ^ "The City of Atchison Takes the Win".
- ^ "The Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge. | America, Scenery, I love america".
- ^ Blakemore, Frank; McCombs, Natalie (December 2012). "Replacing Amelia's Bridge" (PDF). American Institute of Steel Construction.
- ^ "New US-59/Amelia Earhart Bridge Project Update" (PDF). Kansas DoT. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Cronkleton, Robert A. (October 9, 2013). "Atchison's old Amelia Earhart Bridge now resting in Missouri River after blasting". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
External links edit
- Atchison Daily Globe profile[permanent dead link]
- Historic Bridge Foundation article
- MoDOT Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge
- KDOT Amelia Earhart Bridge Construction Progress Featured Online Webcam[permanent dead link]
- EarthCam Amelia Earhart Bridge Project Webcam
- Article and video of the demolition, with a view of the new bridge