Alaska - Mears Memorial Bridge
Statement of Significance
Written by Nathan Holth
This bridge's main span of 700 feet makes it one of the longest simple truss spans ever constructed. The second longest simple truss span in the world when completed, it is only 20 feet shorter than the Metropolis Bridge that Modjeski had designed six years earlier. The Metropolis Bridge was the longest simple truss span in the world when built. It is also noteworthy for its association with Ralph Modjeski, one of the most famous bridge engineers in the 20th Century. The Michigan Technic reported that it this bridge cost $1,250,000:
http://books.google.com/books?id=l0fiAAAAMAAJ&lpg=RA4-PA8&dq...
Facts
- Overview
- Pennsylvania through truss bridge over Tanana River on Alaska Railroad
- Location
- Nenana, Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built 1923
- Builders
- - American Bridge Co. of New York (Steel Fabrication)
- Colonel Frederick Mears of Omaha, Nebraska (Project Engineer)
- Ralph Modjeski of Bochnia, Poland (Chief Bridge Engineer)
- Railroad
- - Alaska Railroad (Alaska; ARR)
- Design
- Pennsylvania through truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 700.0 ft.
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +64.56710, -149.07864 (decimal degrees)
64°34'02" N, 149°04'43" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 6/400408/7161841 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Fairbanks C-5 SE
- Inventory number
- BH 38238 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- November 17, 2021: New photo from Geoff Hubbs
- August 10, 2017: New photos from Jann Mayer
- November 16, 2016: New photo from Dave King
- September 14, 2016: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added categories "Pin-connected", "Riveted"
- September 13, 2016: New Street View added by Dana and Kay Klein
- March 13, 2014: Essay added by Nathan Holth
- November 18, 2012: Photo imported by Luke Harden
- April 25, 2010: New photos from Chris Schmitt
- March 31, 2010: Updated by Craig Philpott: added street view
Sources
- Craig Philpott - craigphilpott63 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Wikipedia
- Nathan Holth
- Mears Memorial Bridge: The connecting link in the Alaska Railroad | Sketches Of Alaska | newsminer.com - Fairbanks News-Miner
- Dana and Kay Klein
- Dave King - DKinghawkfan [at] hotmail [dot] com
- Jann Mayer - jannmayer [at] gmail [dot] com
- Geoff Hubbs
Comments
Here's a photo I took from a train when I worked for the Alaska Railroad years ago if you can use it. A little different perspective. --RJ--
Same as BH 60224.
There is a valid approach to preserve this important historic
bridge(REF. The Secretary of Interior's Standards with Regard to Repair, Rehabilitation, and Replacement Situations,endorsed in " FINAL REPORT A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR HISTORIC BRIDGES IN VIRGINIA".
The approach -Rehabilitate the bridge to carry an HS 20 (36 tons) economically and as quickly as possible.
Nobody has noted how significant this bridge is so I added a statement of significance. At 700 feet its one of the longest simple truss spans around.
A bridge in Nenana... over the Tanana... makes me want a Banana... ;-P
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ak/yukon-koyukuk/mears-memorial/
:
Rehabilitation of Railroad Truss Bridge, St. Regis, Montana ( formerly Burlington Northern )
Stiffened truss by the arch-reinforced method ( U S Patent No,
4,691, 399.) with no interruption of train traffic
for Cooper's E-80 Live Loading.
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