Ninnescah River Bridge

I miss the bridge for historical reasons, but a few of the floods we had really did a number on it. Also, there's not that fear factor of whether or not heading out towards Viola across the bridge at the wrong time might have you playing a game of "chicken" with a wide vehicle. My grandmother owned the flower shop in Clearwater for ages [Macredie Floral, Helen Jane Crews] and I remember going on deliveries out that way in the 80s. It was a bit of a graffiti magnet and to be honest it used to creep me out and I'd hold my breath going over it. The new bridge is wider, has abutments further up the bank, fewer visual obstructions, and is safer, but the old bridge was just cool. I graduated CHS in '96, and this was by far the coolest of the 3 bridges over the Ninnescah in the immediate area.

The original truss bridge was demolished and replaced with a wide, sturdy concrete structure. I remember the original bridge very well; it was two lane, but in all actuality it was better/safer to consider it a one lane bridge. Had a few very close calls driving across it! Also, the flooding in 1985 did extensive damage to the understructure. I'd never seen water flow over the bridge before, but it did then- and large trees were snagged up in it. What a mess (one of the guys I went to school with actually climbed over the side and walked on them, trying to kick 'em loose! what a genius haha) It was a rickety affair; the whole thing would shake like mad. I spent a lot of time fishing out there, and it was dangerous to be under it- cars passing overhead would cause hunks of concrete to fall!