Red River Bridge (Arkansas)
Encyclopedia
The Red River Bridge was a truss bridge crossing the Red River at Garland, Arkansas
. It carried vehicular traffic from 1931 to 1990 and has since been demolished.
The southwest corner of Arkansas
was cut off from the rest of the state by the Red River, which was crossed only by ferries until the twentieth century. The bridge at Garland was designed by state highway engineer Ira G. Hedrick in October 1927 and located along the old military road from El Dorado
to Texarkana
(later to become part of U.S. Route 82
). Hedrick's design included three 300 feet (91.4 m) through spans of Pennsylvania truss.
The winning bid for construction was submitted by the Kansas City Bridge Company
, which was given the contract in September 1929. Construction activities for the bridge disturbed traffic through Garland, and this period was marked by conflict between state highway authorities and the city. (The new bridge also threatened the ferry business owned by Garland's Mayor Beasley.) The spans (though not the approaches) were complete by the morning of September 3, 1930, when two dynamite
blasts threw the central span from its piers and into the river, doing $150,000 of damage. The motive was thought to be either resentment over the use of non-union labor on the bridge or an attempt to protect the local ferry business. A highway worker arrested in December and was convicted of dynamiting the bridge, but the man he accused of hiring him was acquitted, and no other persons were brought to trial for the crime. The bridge was repaired and opened, without ceremony, on July 15, 1931. Originally opened as a toll bridge
, the Arkansas General Assembly
made all bridges in the state free in 1938.
In later years, the bridge proved inadequate to support heavy truck traffic on Route 82. A steel support system was added to the east end in 1986, but the bridge continued to suffer from spalling concrete on the piers. The bridge was added to the Historic American Engineering Record in 1988. A new bridge was constructed upstream to carry Route 82 so that the old bridge could be closed. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990, but was in very poor condition, and it was ultimately demolished and removed from the National Register in 1999.
Garland, Arkansas
Garland is a town in Miller County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Texarkana, Texas - Texarkana, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 352 at the 2000 census.Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn was born in Garland.A...
. It carried vehicular traffic from 1931 to 1990 and has since been demolished.
The southwest corner of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
was cut off from the rest of the state by the Red River, which was crossed only by ferries until the twentieth century. The bridge at Garland was designed by state highway engineer Ira G. Hedrick in October 1927 and located along the old military road from El Dorado
El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado , a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center , an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² regional area...
to Texarkana
Texarkana, Arkansas
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,448 people, 10,384 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5 people per square mile . There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1 per square mile...
(later to become part of U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 82
U.S. Route 82 is an east–west United States highway in the southern United States. What started as a 1932 addition to the system across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas eventually became a 1,609 mile route extending from the White Sands of New Mexico to Georgia's Atlantic coast.The...
). Hedrick's design included three 300 feet (91.4 m) through spans of Pennsylvania truss.
The winning bid for construction was submitted by the Kansas City Bridge Company
Kansas City Bridge Company
The Kansas City Bridge Company was a bridge building company that built many bridges throughout the Midwest in the early 1900s.The company was founded in 1893 and ceased business around 1960.-Bridges:Missouri River* Missouri-Kansas-Texas Bridge...
, which was given the contract in September 1929. Construction activities for the bridge disturbed traffic through Garland, and this period was marked by conflict between state highway authorities and the city. (The new bridge also threatened the ferry business owned by Garland's Mayor Beasley.) The spans (though not the approaches) were complete by the morning of September 3, 1930, when two dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
blasts threw the central span from its piers and into the river, doing $150,000 of damage. The motive was thought to be either resentment over the use of non-union labor on the bridge or an attempt to protect the local ferry business. A highway worker arrested in December and was convicted of dynamiting the bridge, but the man he accused of hiring him was acquitted, and no other persons were brought to trial for the crime. The bridge was repaired and opened, without ceremony, on July 15, 1931. Originally opened as a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
, the Arkansas General Assembly
Arkansas General Assembly
The Arkansas General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 100 members. All 135 representatives and state senators...
made all bridges in the state free in 1938.
In later years, the bridge proved inadequate to support heavy truck traffic on Route 82. A steel support system was added to the east end in 1986, but the bridge continued to suffer from spalling concrete on the piers. The bridge was added to the Historic American Engineering Record in 1988. A new bridge was constructed upstream to carry Route 82 so that the old bridge could be closed. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990, but was in very poor condition, and it was ultimately demolished and removed from the National Register in 1999.