The South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge (originally the South Omaha Bridge but renamed the Veterans Memorial Bridge in 1995) was a continuous warren through

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 ...

over the Missouri River connecting

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

with

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

via

U.S. Highway 275 U.S. Route 275 (US 275) is a north–south United States highway that is a branch of US 75. It originally terminated at US 75 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The highway's northern terminus is in O'Neill, Nebraska, at an intersection with U.S. Highw ...

New South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge

Omaha floated a $2 million bond issue for the bridge in 1931. However, when the bonds did not sell, the Omaha Bridge Commission was formed to secure financing from the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

. The initial design by the Kansas City architects Ash, Howard, Needles and Tammen called for the bridge to have seven spans. However, when the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War (1789–1947) See also * War Office, a former department of the British Government * Ministry of defence * Ministry of War * Ministry of Defence * D ...

announced plans to reroute the river channel, the design was changed to two , continuously supported, Warren through spans and a series of Warren deck truss approach spans. It was built by the

Kansas City Bridge Company The Kansas City Bridge Company was a bridge building company that built many bridges throughout the Midwest United States in the early 1900s. The company was founded in 1893 and ceased business around 1960. A number of its works are listed on the ...

opening on January 18, 1936. It is wide and long. The piers were initially on dry land, since the river had not been rerouted. Tolls on the bridge were discontinued on September 25, 1947. South Omaha Bridge

The bridge provided a much-needed direct route across the Missouri River to the

Omaha Stockyards The Union Stockyards of Omaha, Nebraska, were founded in 1883 in South Omaha by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. A fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the Omaha Union Stockyards were third in the United States for production by 1890. ...

for livestock delivery trucks. Before the South Omaha Bridge was built trucks had to cross the Douglas Street Bridge and drive through downtown Omaha to reach the packinghouse district. Although 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 1992, the bridge was torn down so a new four-lane

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 ...

could be constructed with a target opening date in 2010. The old bridge was long and provided a clear roadway width of only . In November 2006 Nebraska placed a 5-ton vehicle limit on the bridge. On June 11, 2008, an additional height restriction requiring vehicles to be under was imposed. On September 8, 2009, at 9 am CDT, the bridge closed so that the new bridge's construction could continue. The original bridge was completely demolished by March 2010 and removed from the NRHP in 2011. The new bridge opened May 28, 2010. It provides for four and a with and a . The new bridge is long and wide.

References

External links

Historic Postcard of South Omaha Bridge, with tollboothEomahaforums discussion
{{Registered Historic Places Bridges over the Missouri River Road bridges in Iowa Road bridges in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Council Bluffs, Iowa Historic bridges in Omaha, Nebraska History of South Omaha, Nebraska Bridges completed in 1935 Bridges completed in 2010 Bridges in Pottawattamie County, Iowa Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System U.S. Route 275 Former toll bridges in Iowa Former toll bridges in Nebraska Former National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Former National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Landmarks in South Omaha, Nebraska Monuments and memorials in Iowa Monuments and memorials in Nebraska Warren truss bridges in the United States 1935 establishments in Iowa 1935 establishments in Nebraska 2010 disestablishments in Iowa 2010 disestablishments in Nebraska Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States