Facts
- Overview
- Pony truss bridge over Ninnescah River, 1.8 mi. west of Clearwater
- Location
- Sedgwick County, Kansas
- Status
- Open to traffic
- Design
- Pony truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 141.0 ft.
Total length: 721.9 ft.
Deck width: 19.3 ft.
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.50500, -97.53833 (decimal degrees)
37°30'18" N, 97°32'18" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 14/629191/4151899 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Clearwater
- Inventory number
- BH 18519 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
- Inspection (as of 12/2006)
- Deck condition rating: Excellent (9 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Excellent (9 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Excellent (9 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 99.5 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2006)
- 760
Comments
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!