The Mears Memorial Bridge is a
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
on the
Alaska Railroad
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
, completed in 1923. The bridge spans the
Tanana River
The Tanana River (Lower Tanana: Tth'eetoo', Upper Tanana: ''Tth’iitu’ Niign'') is a tributary of the Yukon River in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to linguist and anthropologist William Bright, the name is from the Koyukon (Athabaskan) ...
at
Nenana and at , it is among the largest simple truss-type bridges in the world.
History
The bridge's namesake, Colonel
Frederick Mears
Colonel Frederick Mears (May 5, 1878 – January 11, 1939) was an American military officer in the US Army and railroad engineer and executive. He was the son of a career army officer and his brother Major Edward C. Mears was also in the US army. M ...
, was chairman and chief engineer of the
Alaska Engineering Commission, the railroad's builder and original operator.
The bridge was the final link in the railroad, entering service in February 1923, a year after the rest of the line was finished. The AEC hired the Chicago firm of
Ralph Modjeski
Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski; January 27, 1861 – June 26, 1940) was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as "America's greatest bridge builder."
Life
He was born in Bochnia, called Galicia at the time, on Janua ...
and Angier to design the bridge, and the
American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a heavy/civil construction firm that specializes in building and renovating bridges and other large, complex structures. Founded in 1900, the company is headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pitts ...
to fabricate and erect it. When completed, this
Pennsylvania through-truss bridge was the longest truss span in the United States and its territories.
This bridge still ranks as the longest span of any kind in Alaska. it was then the third-longest simple truss bridge in North America.
President
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
, becoming the first president to visit Alaska,
traveled to the state to drive the ceremonial
last spike at the north end of the bridge on July 15, 1923. It was one of Harding's last public appearances, as he died 18 days later during his ongoing western tour.
See also
*
Juneau–Douglas Bridge
The Douglas Bridge (also colloquially known as the J. D. Bridge or simply "the bridge") is located in Juneau, Alaska, United States. Spanning the Gastineau Channel, it connects Juneau's eastern, mainland side with the city's communities on Do ...
, next longest span in Alaska
References
{{Reflist
External links
Construction photos by designer Walter AngierRecent photos at Bridgehunter.com
1923 establishments in Alaska
Alaska Railroad
Bridges completed in 1923
Bridges in Unorganized Borough, Alaska
Buildings and structures in Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
Railroad bridges in Alaska
Steel bridges in the United States
Truss bridges in the United States
Pennsylvania truss bridges in the United States
Tanana Athabaskans