U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges
Encyclopedia
The U.S. 40 and 59 Bridges are twin multi-beam girder bridges over the Kansas River
at Lawrence, Kansas
.
The west bridge carries two lanes of southbound traffic, connecting to Vermont Street, while the east bridge carries two lanes of northbound from Massachusetts Street
. Both bridges converge on the north end to become North 2nd Street. The east bridge is also the third bridge to be built at this location.
The first bridge was a 690-foot five-span Howe truss bridge built in 1864 by the Lawrence Bridge Company at a cost of $47,000. It was the first bridge across the Kansas River west of Kansas City
. It was operated as a toll bridge until 1879, when the Kansas Supreme Court
revoked the company's charter and seized the bridge on behalf of the state.
The first bridge was washed out by floods in 1876 and 1903 and rebuilt. By 1913, the bridge was determined to be unsafe, and was subsequently replaced with the second span.
The second span, a 1,026 foot concrete arch bridge
, was built by Douglas County
and opened in January 1917. The bridge deck originally had a brick surface with a set of streetcar tracks down the middle. The deck was later paved over with concrete and asphalt.
By 1972, the bridge had begun to deteriorate due to years of road salt, and required patching of the south span across the Santa Fe railroad tracks. In addition, a water main had been placed on the west side of the bridge at rail height. The Bridge was carrying 17,000 vehicles per day.
By 1973, Lawrence and Douglas County had agreed to hold a bond election for replacement of the Kansas River span. Initially proposed as a single 4 lane bridge at a cost of $3 million, plans were changed to a pair of two lane bridges, with the estimated costs increased to $5 million. Voters approved the bond issue to replace the Kansas River bridge in November 1974.
By January 1975, the spandrel beams on the deck had deteriorated to the point where an engineering consultant suggested that they may fail and cause a section of the bridge deck to drop. The consultant recommended that an 8 ton weight limit be imposed on the bridge, which was approved by the Lawrence City Commission over the opposition of truckers.
Work began on the new Vermont Street span began in April 1976. The winning contractor had bid $4.5 million, a figure that was considered "surprisingly low." Due to delays, the Vermont Street span was not completed and opened to traffic until April 4, 1978, at which time the old Massachusetts Street span was closed, and two-way traffic was temporally carried on the new bridge.
The old span was demolished manually, with some of the bridge material used as temporary fill as part of construction of the new bridge. Additional delays occurred on the second span. The Massachusetts street span was completed by January 1980, about 1½ years behind schedule. The bridge was not opened until March to allow the deck additional time to cure and not be exposed to winter salt treatments that could deteriorate the deck.
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
at Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
.
The west bridge carries two lanes of southbound traffic, connecting to Vermont Street, while the east bridge carries two lanes of northbound from Massachusetts Street
Massachusetts Street
Massachusetts Street is a main thoroughfare through the central business district of downtown Lawrence, Kansas. It begins just south of the Kansas River at Sixth Street and continues south until reaching Haskell Indian Nations University...
. Both bridges converge on the north end to become North 2nd Street. The east bridge is also the third bridge to be built at this location.
The first bridge was a 690-foot five-span Howe truss bridge built in 1864 by the Lawrence Bridge Company at a cost of $47,000. It was the first bridge across the Kansas River west of Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
. It was operated as a toll bridge until 1879, when the Kansas Supreme Court
Kansas Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, the Court supervises the legal profession, administers over the judicial branch, and serves as the state court of last resort in the appeals...
revoked the company's charter and seized the bridge on behalf of the state.
The first bridge was washed out by floods in 1876 and 1903 and rebuilt. By 1913, the bridge was determined to be unsafe, and was subsequently replaced with the second span.
The second span, a 1,026 foot concrete arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
, was built by Douglas County
Douglas County, Kansas
Douglas County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 110,826...
and opened in January 1917. The bridge deck originally had a brick surface with a set of streetcar tracks down the middle. The deck was later paved over with concrete and asphalt.
By 1972, the bridge had begun to deteriorate due to years of road salt, and required patching of the south span across the Santa Fe railroad tracks. In addition, a water main had been placed on the west side of the bridge at rail height. The Bridge was carrying 17,000 vehicles per day.
By 1973, Lawrence and Douglas County had agreed to hold a bond election for replacement of the Kansas River span. Initially proposed as a single 4 lane bridge at a cost of $3 million, plans were changed to a pair of two lane bridges, with the estimated costs increased to $5 million. Voters approved the bond issue to replace the Kansas River bridge in November 1974.
By January 1975, the spandrel beams on the deck had deteriorated to the point where an engineering consultant suggested that they may fail and cause a section of the bridge deck to drop. The consultant recommended that an 8 ton weight limit be imposed on the bridge, which was approved by the Lawrence City Commission over the opposition of truckers.
Work began on the new Vermont Street span began in April 1976. The winning contractor had bid $4.5 million, a figure that was considered "surprisingly low." Due to delays, the Vermont Street span was not completed and opened to traffic until April 4, 1978, at which time the old Massachusetts Street span was closed, and two-way traffic was temporally carried on the new bridge.
The old span was demolished manually, with some of the bridge material used as temporary fill as part of construction of the new bridge. Additional delays occurred on the second span. The Massachusetts street span was completed by January 1980, about 1½ years behind schedule. The bridge was not opened until March to allow the deck additional time to cure and not be exposed to winter salt treatments that could deteriorate the deck.