St. Francisville Bridge

Information and Findings From Missouri and Iowa's Historic Bridge Inventory

Bridge Features

Superstructure: steel, 12-panel, rigid-connected cantilever Warren through truss
Substructure: concrete abutments and spill-through piers
Floor/decking: concrete deck over steel stringers
Other features: upper chord and inclined end post: 2 channels with cover plate and lacing; lower chord: 2 channels with lacing; vertical: 4 angles, laced; diagonal: 2 channels, laced; lateral bracing: 1 angle; strut: 4 angles, laced and braced; floor beam: I-beams; guardrail: 2 channels;
Bridge plate: ST. FRANCISVILLE BRIDGE / FEDERAL EMERGENCY ADMINISTRATION OF PUBLIC WORKS / PROJECT NO. 3395-R; builder's plate: ST. FRANCISVILLE BRIDGE / BUILT BY / WAYLAND SPECIAL ROAD DISTRICT NO. 1 / CLARK COUNTY, MISSOURI / BOARD OF SUPERVISORS / O.T. BROWN / CHAS. H. KRUEGER / WILFORD ORR / R.A. KEARNS / SVERDRUP AND PARCEL / CONSULTING ENGINEERS / F.W. WHITEHEAD CONTRACTOR / A.D. 1936

Iowa's Discussion of Bridge

The St. Francisville Bridge carries Iowa Route 394 and the Missouri Supplemental Route B over the Des Moines River, between Lee County, Iowa and Clark County, Missouri. A three-span, rigid-connected Warren through truss cantilevered over the river, the imposing crossing is supported by a concrete substructure with subtle Art Moderne detailing. Designed by the esteemed engineering firm of Sverdrup and Parcel, the bridge was built by F.W. Whitehead, an otherwise obscure contractor. Construction efforts were organized by the Wayland Special Road District No. 1 in Clark County, and funding was provided in part through the Federal Emergency Administration of the Public Works, under Project No. 3395-R. Since its completion in June 1937, the St. Francisville Bridge has functioned as a toll bridge, and is now Iowa's only such crossing still in non-governmental hands.

Missouri's Discussion of Bridge

The St. Francisville Bridge carries Missouri Supplemental Route B, and Iowa Route 394 over the Des Moines River, between Clark County, Missouri, and Lee County, Iowa. A three-span, rigid-connected Warren through truss cantilevered over the river, the imposing crossing is supported by a concrete substructure with subtle Art Moderne detailing. Designed by the esteemed engineering firm of Sverdrup and Parcel, the bridge was built by F.W. Whitehead, an otherwise obscure contractor. Construction efforts were organized by the Wayland Special Road District No. 1 in Clark County, and funding was provided in part through the Federal Emergency Administration of the Public Works, under Project No. 3395-R. Since its completion in June 1937, the St. Francisville Bridge has functioned as a toll bridge, and it is now Missouri's only such crossing still in non-government hands. As of early 1991, the fare for a one-way crossing was 25 cents.

Located at what must be Missouri's most remote interstate crossing, the St. Francisville Bridge is one of the state's few remaining toll bridges. In this it represents a nationwide trend toward toll bridge construction in the 1920s and 1930s. Toll bridges were built at major crossings throughout the country during this time by private companies, small corporations or local citizen groups, to fill the void created by state government inaction. Multiple-span structures such as the Hermann Bridge, the Gasconade Bridge, the Cape Girardeau Bridge and the Jerome Bridge were all built as toll structures and later opened to free traffic once their funding bonds had been retired. The St. Francisville Bridge, on the other hand, is the only such structure still in private hands and still operating as a toll structure. The bridge is technologically distinguished as a relatively uncommon example of cantilevered truss construction. The cantilevered through truss was a signature design of St. Louis-based Sverdrup and Parcel, which also engineered the similarly configured Hermann, Gasconade and Hannibal bridges. The cantilevered Warren truss configuration is uncommon for a bridge of the scale of St. Francisville, however, more often found on the major Missouri and Mississippi River bridges. A well-preserved interstate crossing, the St. Francisville Bridge is an important highway-related resource.

Bridge Considered Historic By Surveys: Yes

View Original PDF For Missouri Historic Bridge Inventory Sheet

Visit Iowa's Historic Bridge Webpage For This Bridge