Bridges are local landmarks, though they may not hold the same personal attachments as historic homes.
"But they bring a sense of community that a house doesn't have," said Karen Daniels, senior history preservation specialist for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).
That's why the department has invited public involvement in gathering stories of events, people, local significance and other history related to pre-1945 common concrete and steel bridges and culverts across the state.
MoDOT employees have identified 776 such bridges and another 826 culverts by their construction. The agency maintains more than 10,000 bridges of all types statewide.
A few have engineering merit, Daniels said.
For the rest, they are relying on residents interested in their local bridges and history to bring the stories to them.
The project website features geographic location, photographs and details about each bridge in the study. An online comment form is available for public input.
Once collected, the information will be used to develop a single programmatic agreement for all of these types of bridges maintained by MoDOT. That will create a more effective process for the agency to comply with federal historic preservation requirements associated with the use of federal funds and permits.
The measure for whether a bridge would require the Section 106 in the case of renovations or removal is eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.
Once the background on the individual bridges has been added to the database, the historic preservation office will be able to determine eligibility by comparison among that group, Daniels said.
MoDOT does not have a single project pushing this concept. Rather, it is a means to streamline fact-gathering and allow the historic preservation officials to work more efficiently, she said.
The office expects to spend at least two years completing this research project. Interested parties can be included in the programmatic agreement, should something come up in the future regarding the bridges of importance to them, Daniels said.
This project involved the broadest public involvement study MoDOT's historic preservation office has taken on, she said. The office's counterparts in other states are watching this as a case study they may repeat.
"Public involvement is so important at this first step because it's what we will build everything else off of," she said.
The first deadline is Feb. 15, when the office hopes to receive notification from the public of any additional common concrete and steel bridges and culverts that should be included in the database or specific information about already identified bridges.
Call 573-526-7346, send an email to [email protected], or visit www.modot.org/ehp/Pre1945Bridges.htm for more information.
Mid-Missouri pre-1945 common concrete and steel bridges and culverts identified by MoDOT include:
Callaway County
Across Turkey Creek, built 1940
On Missouri 94 at Ewins Creek, built 1935
On Missouri 94 at Auxvasse Bridge, built 1932
On Route H at Davis Creek, built 1936
On Business 54 at Craghead Bridge, built 1928
On Business 54 at Smith Bridge, built 1926, reconstructed 1962
Cole County
Hamann Bridge on U.S. 54, built 1941
Neighorn Bridge on U.S. 54, built 1941
Across Strobel Creek, built 1940
Missouri 179 at McWorkman Creek, built 1941
Missouri 179 at Rock Creek, built 1936
Missouri 179 at Mud Creek, built 1931
Miller County
U.S. 54 at Brush Creek, built 1932, reconstructed 1972
U.S. 54 at Blythes Creek, built 1922, reconstructed 1932
Business 54 at Blythes Creek, built 1922, reconstructed 1932
U.S. 54 at Brush Creek, built 1932, reconstructed 1973
U.S. 54 at Bagnell Dam, built 1929, reconstructed 1983
Moniteau County
Route A/E at Enon Creek, built 1939
Hodel Bridge on Route A/E, built 1941
U.S. 50 at Moreau Creek Bridge, built 1925
U.S. 50 at Long Bridge, built 1925
U.S. 50 at Bailey Bridge, built 1925
U.S. 50 at Moreau Creek Bridge, built 1925
Missouri 5 at Schmidt Bridge, built 1931
Morgan County
Missouri 5 at Bridges Bridge, built 1938
Osage County
Route EE at Bexton Creek, built 1937
U.S. 63 at Schmitz Creek, built 1929
Route US at Linn Creek, built 1900
Missouri 89 at Indian Creek, built 1933
Missouri 89 at Halls Creek, built 1933
Route HH at Baileys Creek, built 1938