Jefferson Avenue Footbridge

Jefferson Street Footbridge
Jefferson Street Footbridge
Location Jefferson Ave., bet. Commercial and Chase Sts., Springfield, Missouri
Coordinates 37°13′58″N 93°17′21″W / 37.23278°N 93.28917°W / 37.23278; -93.28917Coordinates: 37°13′58″N 93°17′21″W / 37.23278°N 93.28917°W / 37.23278; -93.28917
Area less than one acre
Architectural style Other, Cantilever Through Truss
NRHP reference # 03000865[1]
Added to NRHP September 2, 2003

Jefferson Avenue Footbridge is a historic Footbridge located at Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. It was built in 1902, measures 562-foot (171 m) long, and allows pedestrians to cross 13 sets of railroad tracks.[2]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[1]

As the footbridge approached its 100th anniversary, it became apparent that a major rehabilitation was required to preserve the aging structure. The City of Springfield partnered with the Commercial Club of Springfield to obtain federal transportation enhancement grants and Community Development Block Grant funding to save the historic footbridge.

In addition to the extensive rehabilitation work on the footbridge, a gathering place plaza was created adjacent to the Commercial Street terminus. The rehabilitation work was conducted in 2001 and 2002 at a cost of just over $518,000. Nearly 100 years after the original footbridge was constructed, the rehabilitated structure was reopened to pedestrian traffic and rededicated April 17, 2002.

The bridge was closed on March 1, 2016. It remains closed while the Springfield City Council decides its fate. Rehabilitation is an option. But the future of the bridge is no longer certain.


References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. Robert Flanders and Oliva Hough (March 2003). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Jefferson Avenue Footbridge" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2017-01-01. (includes 11 photographs from 2002)


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