Meridian Highway Bridge

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Meridian Highway Bridge

Official name	Meridian Highway Bridge
Carries	Two lanes of U.S. Route 81
Crosses	Missouri River
Locale	Yankton, South Dakota and Cedar County, Nebraska
Design	Vertical lift bridge double deck, Pratt through truss
Longest span	1668 feet
Total length	3013 feet
Width	33 feet
Clearance below	feet
Opening date	1924
Coordinates	42°51′52.47″N, 97°23′38.31″W

The Meridian Highway Bridge is a bridge that carries US Route 81 across the Missouri River from the Nebraska border to the South Dakota border. The Meridian Highway Bridge connects Yankton, South Dakota, with rural Cedar County, Nebraska. The Meridian Bridge is a double deck bridge, with the top level carrying traffic into South Dakota from Nebraska, while the lower level carries traffic into Nebraska from South Dakota.

1 History
2 Future
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The Dedication Ceremony was held on October 11, 1924 and was opened as a toll bridge. It was the last link of the Meridian Highway, which became U.S. Route 81, to be completed. It was designed for use by trains for the lower half of the bridge, vehicular traffic on the upper half, and a lift mechanism to aid river traffic. However, trains never used the lower half, so it was converted to use by southbound traffic, with northbound traffic using the upper half of the bridge and the lift mechanism was removed. In 1953, all tolls were lifted. ^[1]

On May 9, 2008 a 10-ton gross weight limit was placed on the bridge after an inspection found corrosion on the gusset plates. The bridge will continue to be monitored while temporary repair options are being investigated. It will be replaced by the Discovery Bridge and is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2008. ^[2]