The buck that Plattsmouth paid for its Missouri bridge to Iowa is not quite the bargain it would seem.
The Associated Press | Posted: Monday, December 3, 2007 6:00 pm
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.
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.