Rockwell City Bridge Explained

Rockwell City Bridge
Location:270th St. over an unnamed stream
Nearest City:Rockwell City, Iowa
Coordinates:42.3992°N -94.6069°W
Built:1915
Builder:Iowa Bridge Company
Architect:James B. Marsh
Architecture:Marsh arch
Added:June 25, 1998
Area:less than one acre
Refnum:98000752

The Rockwell City Bridge is located just east of Rockwell City, Iowa, United States. The 60feet span carried traffic on 270th Street over an unnamed stream.[1] In 1915 Calhoun County requested the Iowa State Highway Commission (ISHC) and Des Moines engineer James B. Marsh to design a bridge for this crossing. The ISHC designed a double span concrete girder structure, while Marsh submitted his patented single-span rainbow arch configuration. They chose the Marsh submission, and contracted with the Iowa Bridge Company to build six bridges for $11,690, which included the costs for this bridge at $4,107.65.[1] Originally built to serve a county road, it was later incorporated into the route for U.S. Highway 20 and carried heavy traffic until the highway was realigned in 1981. While no longer in use, the bridge remains in place just south of the replacement span. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

In 2020, the bridge and some adjacent land was turned into a roadside park managed by Calhoun County Conservation.[2] [3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rockwell City Bridge. National Park Service. 2016-04-07. Clayton B. Fraser.
  2. Web site: ‘A nice, quiet place’ . 2023-01-18 . messengernews.net . en-US.
  3. Web site: Historic Rockwell City Rainbow Bridge Gets A Makeover . 2023-01-18 . CBC Online - Carroll Broadcasting . en-US.