Save the Riverside Bridge Initiative
The historic 101 year old Riverside Bridge in Ozark MO matters so much to us that we are trying to save it from being demolished and have a dream for it.
Our dream and vision is to see it restored and renovated for pedestrian and bicycle use for the community to enjoy. We would like to see the trails that go through the City of Ozark and the Finley River Park extended a few miles upstream to the Riverside Bridge and even have a trailhead park on the land next to the bridge.
When the Riverside Bridge was open for automobile and pedestrian traffic it was a passageway for bicycle enthusiasts to ride from Ozark MO all the way to Springfield MO but now that the bridge is closed off they do not have access to do this anymore. Even neighbors that enjoyed a peaceful stroll and bicycle ride over the bridge are now blocked off by 8 foot fencing and signs that say Stay Off Bridge. Renovating the bridge for pedestrian and bicycle use would even make the passage safer to pedestrians and bicyclists due to not having to dodge vehicles. Having the Riverside Bridge be a pedestrian bridge would be an asset for our community and surrounding neighbors. The Riverside Bridge is a one lane bridge that caused vehicles to have to stop and wait on one side until the other vehicle had passed over.
This was a unique experience that took us back to a time of being hospitable and courteous when people would wave to one another. We needed an escape from the hustle and bustle of this world and our Riverside Bridge did that for us. Riverside bridge is historically and technologically significant as an outstanding, unaltered example of a metal pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge, a once-common structure type that has become increasingly rare nationally, statewide, and locally. These aging bridges have been demolished and replaced with new bridges at a staggering rate nationwide.
It is an excellent surviving representative example of this bridge type. Its longer, two-span configuration also sets it ahead of shorter single-span examples, which are more numerous. Including the Riverside Bridge, there are only five truss bridges of any kind remaining in Christian County. Only one bridge other than the Riverside Bridge is a pin-connected through truss, and this other bridge is a single span structure instead of two spans. In 1992, there were nine metal truss bridges remaining in Christian County. Four of those have been demolished. This is a significant local decline in truss bridges, and is a reflection of national trends. Because of the demolition of other truss bridges in the county, the Riverside Bridge is today distinguished as the oldest metal truss bridge in Christian County, and the only multi-span pin-connected through truss.
The 101 year old historic Riverside Bridge in Ozark MO matters to our community because we have an obligation to our children and our children's children to maintain the historic value of our cultural heritage.
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