NRHP: Niobrara River Bridge

[[Image: |thumb|right|upright=1.0|alt= |Niobrara River Bridge]]

Niobrara River Bridge

NRHP Reference #: 92001576

NRHP Listing Date: 19921112

Location

1.3 mi NW of Niobrara, Knox County, Nebraska

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Summary

In 1902 the C.& N.W. constructed a wooden bridge across the mouth of the Niobrara River near the town of Niobrara. The structure consisted of three truss spans and a series of shorter approach spans over the flood plain. Despite attempts to shield the timber structure from flooding and weather, the Niobrara River Bridge had deteriorated to the point of replacement by the late 1920s. In 1929 the C.& N.W. designed a replacement structure, had it fabricated using steel rolled by the Illinois Steel Company, and erected it using a railroad construction crew. The lengths of the old and new structures were similar. The principal difference between them lay in the materials used. The 1902 bridge relied almost exclusively on timber for both super-and substructure; the 1929 replacement used an all steel superstructure and concrete substructure to form a heavier, more durable structure.

About the National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the country’s official list of historically significant properties. To be eligible for the NRHP a property must generally retain their historic appearance, be at least 50 years old, and have the potential to be documented as historically or architecturally significant at either the local, state, or national level. The National Register of Historic Places is a National Park Service program administered by the Nebraska State Historical Society for the state of Nebraska. Visit the Nebraska State Historical Society's website to learn more about the program.