SKOL Verdigris River Bridge (Independence)

Located on the east side of Independence, this large through truss bridge crosses the Verdigris River. Started in 1902 and completed in 1903, the bridge consists of a 178-foot, 8-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss span. The truss span is approached by a 66-foot and a 54-foot "Class A" deck plate girder span on the east end, and a 54-foot span with four timber pile trestle spans on the west end. The substructures of the bridge are a mix of stone, concrete and timber pile. In 1946, significant repairs were made to the substructures, including bearing block repairs to the stone piers, and encasing pier #3 in concrete. The pile trestle spans on the west side of this bridge appear to still be the spans constructed in 1942, and were listed as such in a 1984 bridge record.

The truss span utilizes a typical design for the Santa Fe during this time period. These spans utilized laced vertical members, pinned connections and a portal bracing which utilizes a double intersection lattice design with subdivided heel bracings. This particular design was used at numerous locations throughout the Santa Fe system, particularly between 1898 and 1910. Several examples of this design can be found throughout Kansas. The Santa Fe utilized a series of standard bridge designs throughout their system, similar to a number of other railroads throughout the United States. This allowed the railroad to streamline construction, while helping reduce engineering costs for bridges. While many railroads adopted the riveted Warren design during the early years of the 20th Century, the Santa Fe continued to use pin connected designs regularly into the late 1910s. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.