South Grand Avenue Bridge

Located on the south side of Sedalia, this historic through truss bridge carries South Grand Avenue over Flat Creek. The first bridge at this location was constructed in 1880 as the railroad line was constructed through this area. This bridge consisted of two 86-foot wooden Howe truss spans, set onto stone substructures. The stone for the substructures was reportedly quarried from native stone located along Williams and Cole Camp Creeks. In 1898, the bridge was reportedly replaced with the current bridge. The bridge consists of a pair of 86-foot, 5-panel pin connected Pratt through truss spans, set onto stone abutments. The trusses are lightweight in construction, and appear to have originally been fabricated in approximately 1890. The trusses utilize lightweight laced vertical members, and rods for all tension and compression members. The trusses also utilize a lattice portal, commonly used by a number of different fabricators during the late 1880s and early 1890s.

It is currently unknown where the trusses were relocated from. Missouri Pacific moved around numerous steel and iron bridges during the early 20th Century. Railroads often reused steel and iron bridge spans, as reuse provided a cost effective way to replace bridges along branch lines. After the railroad was abandoned in 1946, the bridge was acquired by Pettis County and converted to road use. An asphalt deck was added to the bridge at this time. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with some deterioration noted. Recent repairs to the bridge include encasing the lower angle connections on the south end of the bridge in concrete. The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the reuse, history and age of the spans.