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History of Washington County
by Forrest B. Shrader
Published in 1937, 350 pages
Blair Public Library: REF 978 Les
(Page 310-313)
Chapter XX --
Construction Work on the Missouri River
The Missouri River Bridge at Blair with governors who
dedicated the structure. |
The Blair Bridge
The crossing over the Missouri River between the states of Iowa and
Nebraska, east of Blair, has been a natural point of crossing since the days of
the earliest pioneers. Before the railroad bridge was constructed at this
point, railroad cars passengers, and vehicles were transferred back and forth
across the river by Various ferries. After the construction of the
railroad bridge, there was always in operation during times of the year when the
river was open and free from ice, some sort of ferry for vehicles and foot
travelers.
The Lincoln Highway Association was organized in 1913 to promote and develop a
national highway between new York and San Francisco on the most direct and
desirable water level route, to be not only the first great national highway,
but a model for other to follow. The highway came to Missouri Valley, Iowa, from
the east, but since there was no bridge at Blair, it was taken south to Council
Bluffs, Iowa, across the river to Omaha, and then back up to Fremont, Nebraska.
Lincoln Highway officials, however, always kept in mind their desire to take the
straightest and shortest route, and after the World War they did considerable
work in the region around Blair for the construction of a bridge there.
As a result of a visit to Blair of Mr. Gael S. Hoag, then secretary of the
Lincoln Highway Association, and a talk which he made before the Blair Chamber
of Commerce in the early part of 1925, the Blair Chamber of Commerce appointed a
committee consisting of Reed O'Hanlon, Chairman, C. O. Dawson, and Thomas T.
Osterman to take the matter in charge. At that time, there was
considerable sentiment in the states of Iowa and Nebraska for the two states to
join together and build bridges at strategic locations across the Missouri
River. The Blair committee therefore, with the assistance of Congressman
Willis G. Sears, obtained from the United State Congress, in session that year,
a free bridge franchise. Unfortunately, the two states could not
agree on a program and it was given up. However, as a result of this
committee's work it was felt that there was a possibility of interesting private
capital in the building of the Blair Bridge.
In the fall of 1926, Reed O'Hanlon formed a company known as the Nebraska-Iowa
Bridge Corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware and received a
corporate charter in that name. Thereupon, the company applied to the nest
session of the United State Congress for a private bridge franchise.
Through the efforts of Senator R. B. Howell, of Omaha, this franchise was
finally obtained.
Considerable time and money was spent trying to interest various financial
houses to advance the money necessary to build the bridge, and finally in the
summer of 1928, the corporation and franchise was turned over to the Woods
Brothers Corporation of Lincoln, Nebraska, upon their agreeing to commence
construction with ninety days. Work of construction was actually started
August 1, 1928, and thereafter the construction work was continued until the
bridge was opened for traffic June 29, 1929.
At the suggestion of the United State War Department, who considered the bridge
an important link in the highway transport system in time of war, plans of the
bridge were altered to call for considerable heavier construction that was
originally contemplated. As a result the bridge is one of the most
expensive ever constructed over the Missouri River.
There are four main piers, constructed of reinforced concrete keyed into bed
rock approximately sixty feet below the normal surface of the water and having a
total height of about 125 feet above the bed rock. The main bridge
consists of three cantilever spans having a total length of 100 feet, with
approximately 400 feet in the two approach spans on each side of the bridge
proper. There is a clearance of sixty-five feet between the bottom of the
bridge floor and the water at the low-water level, providing ample room for
river navigation.
The actual construction cost of the bridge was approximately $900,000.
Engineering fees, legal fees, financing fees, land cost, and other incidentals
made the total cost approximately $1,200,000.
The celebration formally celebrating the opening of the bridge was attended by
the Governors of Nebraska and Iowa, many other notables and approximately 20,000
people from the surrounding territory.
Within a year after the bridge had been opened for traffic the Lincoln Highway,
and afterward U. S. Highway No. 30, were routed across the Missouri River at
Blair. The highway has been improved and hard surfaced by the Highway
Departments of the States of Iowa and Nebraska and approximately one-half of the
total distance between Missouri Valley and Fremont is now paved. The
remainder is expected to be paved in the near future. As a result of this
change the motorist now saves thirty-one miles in actual distance, nine miles of
which is through the congested traffic within the city limits of Council Bluffs
and Omaha.
The bridge was operated by Wood Brothers Corporation until August, 1932, at
which time it was turned over to a Board of Directors representing bondholders
and stockholders of the Bridge Corporation. Reed O'Hanlon is president and
general manager of the bridge and the bridge corporation.
Drainage.
One of the most important land projects in Washington County was the drainage of
the bottom lands along the eastern part of the county. In some cases the
drainage development accomplished two or more purposes, as an enterprise it
contains swamp land, land in farms, and land subject to overflow, all of which
are benefited. Protection from overflow and better drainage of wet lands
were the principal objects of drainage in Washington County.
In 1930, sixty-seven farms reported drainage against fifty one in 1920.
There were 7,605 acres of farm land provided with drainage in 1930, and 4,577
acres in 1920.
There were 76.1 miles of ditches completed in 1930 and eleven miles of dikes and
levees completed. The capital invested in the enterprise to January 1,
1930, was $150,630 and the average cost per acre of enterprises having ditches
and levees was $3.85.
Missouri River Construction Work
Since 1932, there has been a definite program set up to make the Missouri River
navigable. At the present time a large group of men in Washington County are
employed by the Federal Government for this river project. There is a
definite plan to keep the river from cutting on the Nebraska side and destroying
many acres in Washington County.
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