Fort Atkinson Bridge

Iowa Bridge Number 346320

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The 5th Annual Historic Bridge Weekend will be held in Iowa and organized by The BridgeHunter's Chronicles this year from August 9th through the 11th. Details are available here.

Bridge Documented: June 30, 2009

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth and Rick McOmber

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Key Facts

	Bridge Name	Facility Carried / Feature Intersected	Location	Structure Type	Construction Date and Builder/Engineer
!	Fort Atkinson Bridge Iowa Bridge Number 346320	150th Street Over Turkey River	Rural: Winneshiek County, Iowa	Metal 7 Panel Pin-Connected Pratt Through Truss, Fixed and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam), Fixed	1892 By Builder/Contractor: D. H. Young of Manchester, Iowa

Technical Facts

Main Span Length	Structure Length	Roadway Width	Main Spans	Approach Spans	NBI Number
132 Feet (40.2 Meters)	183 Feet (55.8 Meters)	16.1 Feet (4.9 Meters)	1	3	346320

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

This bridge is technologically significant as a good representative example of a pin-connected through truss bridge, and is further significant as a well-decorated bridge that retains its decoration. These decorations include detailed portal cresting which sits atop an A-frame portal bracing, as well as beautiful cast iron caps that include decorative spherical finials and list the 1892 date for the bridge. A builder plaque also remains on the bridge. The bridge is also historically significant as an example of a bridge built by a local Iowa bridge company.

The bridge has been altered by the replacement of its original floorbeams, but the truss structure above the deck remains in original condition. Stringer approach spans are not all original.

Information and Findings From Iowa's Historic Bridge Inventory

Discussion of Bridge

Located in the small town of Fort Atkinson in southwestern Winneshiek County, this medium-span truss carries a county road over an intermittent stream. The structure dates to 1892. That year the Winneshiek county Board of Supervisors let a series of private contracts for fabrication and erection of this 135-foot, pinned Pratt truss. As indicated by a plate on the bridge itself, it was built by D.H. Young of Manchester, Iowa. County records do not reveal the total cost of the bridge. Called the Fort Atkinson Bridge locally, this steel truss features a Pratt configuration and is supported by a timber and concrete substructure. This early Winneshiek County bridge continues to carry local traffic with partial substructural and approach span replacement as the only alterations of note.

From the early 1880s to the establishment of state bridge standards in 1913, the pin-connected Pratt through truss was virtually the exclusive structural type for medium-span roadway crossings in Iowa. Its standardized fabrication, economy of materials and ease of erection made it a mainstay among the various state and regional bridge companies. Thousands of such trusses were built throughout the state during this period, and numerous examples remain in place today. The Fort Atkinson Bridge is distinguished among these for its relatively early erection date, well-preserved condition and the decorative iron cresting on its portals adapted from Crow-Dolby and Fraser 1992].

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: Yes

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Photos and Videos: Fort Atkinson Bridge

Available Photo Galleries and Videos

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	Bridge Photo-Documentation Original / Full Size Photos	A collection of overview and detail photos. For the best visual immersion and full detail, or for use as a desktop background, this gallery presents the photos for this bridge in the original digital camera resolution.
	Bridge Photo-Documentation Mobile Optimized Gallery	A collection of overview and detail photos. View the photos for this bridge in a reduced size which is useful for mobile/smartphone users, modem (dial-up) users, or those who do not wish to wait for the longer download times of the full-size photos. Alternatively, view this photo gallery using a popup slideshow viewer (great for mobile users) by clicking the link below. Browse Gallery With Popup Viewer

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