The deadline to apply for a free bridge is the end of December. The Bridge over Shoal Creek on Route C is available for re-use. The Missouri Department of Transportation is accepting proposals for the bridge currently located 1.4 miles northwest of Dawn.
The Shoal Creek Bridge is a 1933, rigid-connected, 178-foot long bridge with a 100-foot Warren alternating verticals pony truss, and a 38-foot wide flange girder approach span on each end. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced, with the project scheduled to go out for contractor bids in June 2022.
The bridge is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under criteria A and C for local significance in transportation and engineering. Because of that eligibility, federal law requires any state proposing demolition of a historic bridge to first make it available for donation to a state, locality or responsible private entity. The bridge can be obtained by government entities, historical or civic groups, or private citizens, free of charge, but the cost to remove the bridge or any of its parts is borne by the party obtaining the bridge.
Individuals and organizations interested in taking all or part of the bridge are invited to submit a proposal for reuse to MoDOT’s Historic Preservation Section until Dec. 31, 2021.
A proposal checklist is available on MoDOT’s Free Bridges website: modot.org/free-bridges.
