The Ames Creek Bridge is a historic structure located northeast of DeWitt, Iowa,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in rural

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York **Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, s ...

. It is an early example of concrete bridge design prior to the codification of standards by the state highway commission. The bridge was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1981.

Description

The bridge was designed by the Clinton County Engineer. The Clinton County Board of Supervisors contracted with

Charlotte, Iowa Charlotte ( ) is a city in Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 389 at the 2020 census. History Charlotte was platted in 1871; a post office already been established there in 1853. The town was named for the first postmaster's ...

contractor J.R. Kane in 1912 to build the bridge. The structure was completed that same year for $2,154. The poured-in-place concrete through

girder bridge A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box. The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge de ...

measures long and is wide. There is a minimal amount of ornamentation on the structure. It is composed of of reinforcing steel and 157 cubic yards of concrete. The bridge's concrete

abutments An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

and

wing wall A wing wall (also "wingwall" or "wing-wall") is a smaller wall attached or next to a larger wall or structure. Bridges In a bridge, the wing walls are adjacent to the abutments and act as retaining walls. They are generally constructed of the same ...

s required almost 125 cubic yards of excavation. It was built a year before the Iowa State Highway Commission began developing standard bridge plans.

References

{{NRHP in Clinton County, Iowa Bridges completed in 1912 Bridges in Clinton County, Iowa Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Clinton County, Iowa 1912 establishments in Iowa Concrete bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States