This list of lesser-known bridges in Kansas is composed of bridges that are not well documented for various reasons. Some of them are off-road while others, even though they are actually on the roadway, have largely escaped the public eye — an easy occurrence if they are not on the national bridge inventory or are largely obscured. We will update this list as we find more. 1. Walz Ford Bridge, Butler County, KS Location: On Bluestem Road, head 1 mile south from the paved SE … [Read more...] about 4 Lesser-Known Stone Bridges of Kansas
Archives for March 2019
Record Bridges of Cowley Kansas
Cowley County is known as the stone arch bridge capital of Kansas. While something of a latecomer to the stone arch bridge building trend of this part of the state, Cowley quickly rose to become famous for its stone arch bridges. Shortly after the county built a stone arch bridge over Timber Creek, they undertook the building of what was heralded as the largest stone arch bridge in the state — the Dunkard Mill Bridge. The Dunkard Mill Bridge is located outside Arkansas City and bridges the … [Read more...] about Record Bridges of Cowley Kansas
Otter Creek Bridge
The North Branch Otter Creek Bridge in Greenwood County, Kansas, is a well-known, triple-arch stone bridge listed on the National Register of Historical Places. It was built by pioneer bridge builder Walter Sharp, as shown by the plaque. Walter Sharp is renowned for being the foremost builder of the famous Cowley County stone arch bridges. When Greenwood County decided to bypass this old stone bridge, demolishing it was considered. After the resulting protests, the bridge was preserved … [Read more...] about Otter Creek Bridge
Stone Arch Bridges of Kansas
Kansas has a large number of stone arch bridges and culverts — reasonable estimates put the number at over 200 such structures across the state. The choice was natural enough; stone is plentiful and readily available in Kansas, and, particularly in western Kansas, stone was just about the only building material available. So much so, that “post rock” (i.e., stone fence posts) became quite popular in some areas. It was a natural choice, then, to use the stone for bridges. Even in more timbered … [Read more...] about Stone Arch Bridges of Kansas
How Arch Bridges Are Built
Possibly one of the more mystifying elements of stone arch bridges is the manner by which they are constructed. While it may be easy enough to see that the arch stands because of every stone pushing against its neighbor, the obvious question is, “How do the stones stay in place before they are all stacked up?” The short answer is they don’t. Or, rather, they wouldn’t … on their own. A temporary formwork of some type must be built before the stones are in place. The arch depends on all of the … [Read more...] about How Arch Bridges Are Built
Stone Arch Bridges: The Concept Explained
Stone arches have long been used for spanning gaps throughout the world. Their permanence has been testified to and evidenced by the surprising number of Roman and Medieval stone arch bridges still in use. But how do these bridges work? How do you span a gap with stone? The Slab Method The simple and most obvious way to bridge a gap with stone is the “slab” method. Simply lay a large stone across the gap. Or lay several large stones parallel to each other to make the bridge wider. Either … [Read more...] about Stone Arch Bridges: The Concept Explained