The Pony Express Bridge is a highway

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 ...

over the Missouri River connecting

Elwood, Kansas Elwood is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States, located west across the Missouri River from Saint Joseph, Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,125. History A trading post was established at Elwood in ...

with

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

on U.S. Route 36 (US 36). The bridge is referred to in signage as Pony Express Bridges because there are separate bridges for east and west bound traffic. The bridges were built in 1983 to replace 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 ...

built in 1929. The truss bridge was demolished in March 1984. The bridge is near the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

stables at its eastern terminus in St. Joseph. US 36 to

Marysville, Kansas Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,447. History Marysville was laid out in 1855 by Francis J. Marshall, and designated in that same ...

is designated the ''Pony Express Memorial Highway'' because it follows the route. The bridge also passes over the family property of

Johnny Fry John Fry, Jr. (1840 – October 6, 1863) was the closing rider on the first westbound Pony Express and later a soldier in the United States Cavalry who was killed in action during the American Civil War. Early life and The Pony Express Fry was ...

, the "official" first west-bound rider of the Pony Express.

References

Buildings and structures in St. Joseph, Missouri Buildings and structures in Doniphan County, Kansas Bridges completed in 1983 Bridges over the Missouri River U.S. Route 36 Road bridges in Missouri Road bridges in Kansas Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Girder bridges in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States

See also

References