Plattsmouth acquires Missouri bridge for a buck

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By The Associated Press

PLATTSMOUTH — The buck that Plattsmouth paid for its Missouri bridge to Iowa is not quite the bargain it would seem.

The steel structure cost $700,000 to build in 1929 and has since provided its stockholder owners the tolls from its two lanes — currently $1.25 for cars and, depending on size, $2.25 or $2.75 for trucks.

The Nebraska State Historical Society listed the bridge as historically significant in 1993.

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The historic Plattsmouth Bridge, built in 1929. (LJS file)

The historic Plattsmouth Bridge, built in 1929. (LJS file)

It says the bridge has seven spans:

— a 402-foot cantilevered through truss over the Missouri’s navigable channel, anchored by two 201-foot through spans;

— two 203-foot and two 104-foot deck trusses on the eastern flood plain in Mills County, Iowa.

The historical society says the bridge is a “noteworthy example of cantilevered truss construction.”

The structure needs lots of work, though — $3.2 million worth — and a federal rehabilitation project couldn’t go forward for a private owner.

So the Plattsmouth Bridge Co. and the city of Plattsmouth on Friday agreed to the sale price: $1.

The bridge will be closed for work from May into November next year. It will remain a toll bridge after the repairs.

A five-member city commission will be responsible for bridge oversight, including liability, maintenance and budgeting.

“We are going to have a good, viable and safe bridge that hopefully should serve us for the next 20 to 30 years,” Plattsmouth Mayor Paul Lambert said Monday.

In 2006, nearly 1,200 vehicles a day crossed the span, which serves U.S. Highway 34 travelers.

“I’m happy and elated that (the repairs) are happening, for Plattsmouth and for Cass County,” said Greg Schneider, a representative of the Plattsmouth Bridge Co.