Rating:
6 votes

Broadway Bridge

Sedgwick County, Kansas
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Photos 

Overview

Photo taken July 2006 by David Backlin

Map 

Street Views 

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts 

Overview
Eight-span rainbow arch bridge over the Arkansas River on S. Broadway (Southbound) in Wichita
Location
Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas
Status
Open to two lanes of southbound traffic
History
Built 1931; rehabilitated 1996
Design
Concrete through arch
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 100.0 ft.
Total length: 800.0 ft.
Deck width: 26.2 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 20.9 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on January 22, 1992
Also called
John Mack Bridge (official name)
Lawrence Avenue Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+37.64458, -97.33549   (decimal degrees)
37°38'40" N, 97°20'08" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
14/646847/4167684 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Wichita East
Inventory numbers
NRHP 91002018 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 18517 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 09/2011)
Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 65.9 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2006)
6,300

Categories 

Arch (9,418)
Arkansas River (89)
Built 1931 (573)
Built during 1930s (8,552)
Concrete balustrade (424)
Functionally obsolete (7,035)
Have street view (9,883)
Kansas (2,280)
Marsh arch (48)
NR-listed (2,353)
 Open (28,302)
Owned by city (3,048)
Rainbow arch (195)
Sedgwick County, Kansas (18)
Skewed (4,080)
Span length 100-125 feet (3,299)
Total length 500-1000 feet (1,803)
US 81 (7)
Wichita, Kansas (10)

Update Log 

  • July 26, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Added Marsh arch to Categories
  • May 20, 2010: New Street View added by Robert Elder
  • May 19, 2010: New Street View added by Robert Elder
  • March 28, 2010: New photo from Mike LeMasters
  • March 9, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Added Street View link
  • January 25, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Adjusted GPS Coordinates - moved the balloon from the new bridge to the old bridge.
  • December 18, 2009: Updated by Robert Elder: Added US 81 to categories, although US 81 was later rerouted to the I-135 corridor.
  • December 8, 2009: Updated by Robert Elder: Added Marsh arch to Categories
  • August 21, 2009: Updated by Robert Elder: Edited Alternate Names. Broadway was once known as Lawrence Avenue.
  • August 18, 2006: Posted photos from David Backlin

Sources 

  • David Backlin - us71 [at] cox [dot] net
  • Robert Elder - robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Mike LeMasters
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Comments 

Broadway Bridge
Posted January 3, 2011, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

It is good that we can celebrate this 80th anniversary - especially considering that this bridge almost met the wrecking ball!

Broadway Bridge
Posted January 2, 2011, by Sheldon Wiens (sheldon_wiens77 [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Happy 80th Anniversary, bridge!

Broadway Bridge
Posted May 16, 2007, by Robert L. Elder (Bass-tbn [at] ku [dot] edu)

During the early 1990s, there was talk of possibly demolishing the John Mack Bridge. One of the major problems was that the bridge was too narrow to effectively carry traffic in both directions. In the years following the construction of the bridge, Broadway was widened to four lanes, but the John Mack Bridge could accommodate only two lanes. Locals were able to get the bridge listed on the National Register in 1992, leading the effort to rehabilitate it and construct a new bridge to the east to carry northbound traffic.