The Adair Viaduct is a historic structure located in

Adair, Iowa Adair is a city in Adair and Guthrie counties of Iowa in the United States. The population was 791 at the 2020 census. History The Rock Island Railroad was built through the area in 1868, which led to the area being known as Summit Cut. This ...

, United States. It spans the Iowa Interstate Railroad tracks for . with In 1908 Adair County built the first bridge at this location over the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At the end ...

tracks near the site of the 1873

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

train robbery. Increased traffic by the 1920s necessitated its replacement. The

Iowa State Highway Commission The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is the government organization in the U.S. state of Iowa responsible for the organization, construction, and maintenance of the primary highway system. Located in Ames, Iowa, DOT is also responsi ...

designed the three-span open spandrel arch bridge. The Adair County Board of Supervisors awarded the $42,263 to build the bridge to the Federal Bridge Company of

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

. It is somewhat unusual in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

in that the bridge is not symmetrical. Because it is located over a deep cut the two approach spans at each are shorter than the main span, which is . The bridge was opened to traffic in June 1924. It 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 1998.

References

Bridges completed in 1924 Transportation buildings and structures in Adair County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Adair County, Iowa Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Arch bridges in Iowa Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in the United States 1924 establishments in Iowa {{Iowa-bridge-struct-stub