Photos 

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Overview

Photos taken by J.R. Manning
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Railing

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Builder's plaque

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National Register plaque

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Historic marker

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The south wall

The lights are functional!

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in July 2004

Map 

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts 

Overview
Concrete bridge over Mud Creek on 5th Street E in Tama
Location
Tama County, Iowa
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1915 by Paul Kingsley
Builder
- Paul Kingsley
Design
"In September 1912, the Midwestern visionary Carl Fisher proposed to group of automotive businessmen a plan to build a road spanning from coast to coast. The route, later named the Lincoln Highway, would start in New York City, finish in San Francisco, an cross 358 miles through the state of Iowa on the way. This monumental undertaking was to be privately funded with the towns and counties profiting from its passage sharing a large part of the construction costs. Thus, a widespread advertisement campaign for the transcontinental highway was launched with each community along its path trying to outdo the next in making itself the most desirable rest stop. The town of Tama distinguished itself from the rest by constructing a special bridge for the route with the words "Lincoln Highway" spelled out in the concrete railing. This bridge remains a most unusual maker for this historic highway."

Historian: Juliet Landler, Engineer, August 1995 for HAER
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Dimensions
Length of largest span: 20.0 ft.
Total length: 22.0 ft.
Deck width: 24.0 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.96439, -92.56333   (decimal degrees)
41°57'52" N, 92°33'48" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/536183/4645914 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Tama
Inventory numbers
NRHP 78001263 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 14489 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 12/2006)
Deck condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 58.4 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2005)
2,090

Update Log 

  • September 13, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
  • March 30, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Added Bridge to "Lincoln Highway" Category
  • March 1, 2008: New photo from J.R. Manning
  • August 3, 2007: Posted photos from J.R. Manning

Sources