Meridian Highway Bridge

The Meridian Highway Bridge, located right on the border between Nebraska and Yankton, SD, is a historic double-decker bridge built in 1924. Conceived as an alternative to the ferry system and seasonal pontoon bridge, the Meridian Bridge was created to facilitate travel on three different fronts. Utilizing a weight mechanism, the middle section of the bridge could be raised to allow boats to cross underneath it. Along with having a never used lower level for train tracks and an upper level dedicated to automobile transport, this created a trifecta of transport. Closed in 2008 due to weakening supports, the Meridian Bridge was replaced by the Discovery Bridge and converted into a pedestrian footbridge, breathing new life into this historic structure. The bridge is known for being the only vertical lift span in Nebraska and South Dakota and the first permanent crossing of the Missouri River.

In the early 1900s, the Missouri River was both a blessing and a curse for those who owned businesses in Yankton, SD. While the proximity to the river allowed for trade by ship, there were numerous difficulties with a constant transport method across it. At this point, transport across the Missouri River relied on either a ferry service, which began in 1870, or a seasonally operated pontoon bridge, built in 1890. To protect against ice damage, the pontoon was disassembled each year before the winter freeze, rebuilt upon the ice, disassembled before the Spring thaw, and rebuilt once again upon the open water. This constant cycle was particularly troublesome for those pursuing trade across the river. So, in 1915, numerous businesses banded together to form the Meridian Highway Bridge Company.

The bridge was conceived as part of a tremendous continental highway that stretched from Canada to Mexico along the Sixth Principal Meridian, leading the bridge to be named after it. After being stalled due to WWl, the project was brought back into focus in 1920. The Meridian Highway Bridge Company hired Kansas City engineers Harrington, Howard, and Ash to design a combined railroad and highway bridge with a movable span to accommodate river traffic. The company hoped to finance the bridge construction through stock that would be repaid from toll revenues. However, the venture was still several hundred thousand dollars shy of the estimated cost when contracted for substructure work with the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company in late 1920. The company still had not raised the needed funds when work was completed on the substructure two years later. This caused construction to be suspended until the fall of 1923, when the Kelly Atkinson Company of Chicago stepped in and began work on the superstructure. The steelwork was completed the following spring, and the span was raised for the first time that July. Being the final link of the Meridian Highway to be finished, The Meridian Highway Bridge was officially opened to traffic in October 1924, costing around $1.1 million. While it is commonly believed that the lower section was equipped with a track, it most likely was not due to the failure to secure a railroad line. The bridge was a significant economic feat for the city of Yankton, but those who invested in it only received around a 2% increase in their 20-year-old investment.

The bridge was sold in 1946 to the city of Yankton for $700,000. After regaining that cost through toll collection in 1953, the city removed the price, and the bridge was given to the state of South Dakota to maintain. The lower deck was also refurbished into another lane for road travel, allowing for an uninterrupted traffic flow in both directions. Later, in 1983, the lift mechanism was removed as river traffic had decreased significantly due to the Gavins Point Dam blocking Lewis and Clark Lake. After being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, the bridge was closed in 2008 due to corrosion on important structural facets, being replaced by the Discovery Bridge 84 years after it first opened.

Federal Highway Administration. Historic Bridges of Nebraska, Federal Highway Administration. July 6th, 2018. Accessed November 10th, 2022. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/nediv/bridges/cedar.cfm.United States Department of the Interior. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, National Parks Gallery. May 18th, 1993. Accessed November 10th, 2022. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/93000537_text

International Database and Gallery of Structures. Meridian Highway Bridge, Structurae. Accessed November 10th, 2022. https://structurae.net/en/structures/meridian-highway-bridge.

Grow, Kathy K. The bridge we built: The story of Yankton's Meridian Bridge. Yankton, SD. Vintage Point Press, 2001.

Nebraska Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Preservation Success Story: Meridian Highway Bridge, History Nebraska. October 11th, 2008. Accessed November 10th, 2022. https://history.nebraska.gov/preservation-success-story-meridian-highway-bridge/.