Republican River Pegram Truss Bridge

Carrying 190th Road over the Republican River east of Concordia, this large through truss bridge is one of the most well known and historic truss bridges in north central Kansas. The previous bridge at this location was likely a timber truss bridge. In approximately 1913, that bridge would be replaced by the current bridge. The bridge consists of a single 203-foot 9-panel pin-connected Pegram through truss, approached by a 128-foot riveted quadrangular lattice through truss span on either end. The entire bridge is set onto timber substructures. The truss spans of this bridge were reused from other, unknown locations. The center span was fabricated in 1893 by the Edge Moor Iron Works. The approach spans were fabricated in approximately 1900. The Pegram truss uses typical features seen on other UP Pegram trusses, including a lattice portal and laced members. The approach spans also utilize a design standard for the Union Pacific between 1895 and 1905, with heavy members and an arched lattice portal.

While George H. Pegram was working for Edge Moor Bridge Works, he patented his Pegram Truss design in 1885. Unlike a Parker through Truss, Pegram's design made use of a curved top chord with all members the same length. In addition, vertical compression members were all the same length as well on his designs. Not long after Pegram patented his design, he left Edge Moor to work for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The first Pegram through truss span was built across the Verdigris River in 1889, for the Missouri Pacific. During his tenure with MP, many spans of this design were built, including a 13 span bridge at Ft. Smith, Arkansas; and 20 individual spans constructed in 1890 alone. By 1893, his reputation was well known, and he left MP to work as Chief Engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad. It seems he likely took advantage of this position to continue constructing his patented design. Pegram stayed at Union Pacific, until he left in 1898. The true number of Pegram trusses constructed is unknown.

While many of the Pegram trusses have been demolished, a number continue to exist throughout the western United States. Of the remaining spans, eleven are still intact in Idaho, two in California, two in Kansas and a single span in both Utah and Washington. Most of the spans were relocated and reused after main line traffic became too heavy, as is the case with the Republican River Pegram truss. The other remaining span in Kansas, the Pipe Creek Pegram Truss in Minneapolis, was reused from a bridge across the Loup River at Columbus, Nebraska. That bridge was replaced in 1908, and utilized two Pegram truss spans, 150 feet and 203 feet in length. It is possible that the Pegram truss was reused from the Columbus bridge. Communications with the Cloud County Highway Department led to the suggestion that the bridge was moved from Wyoming, per research completed by a retired employee.

The approach trusses utilize a quadrangular lattice through truss design, which was a somewhat uncommon design, used nearly exclusively by railroads. While relatively uncommon, this design was a standard design of the Union Pacific between approximately 1895 and 1905. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, Erie Railroad and Chicago & North Western Railway all used the design in varying capacities, with the lattice truss being the design of choice for the C&NW for over 40 years. The trusses utilize solid and laced members, and arched lattice portal bracings, typical of Union Pacific bridges of this design. This particular portal bracing design was used on many Union Pacific bridges between the 1890s and early 1910s. A number of other examples exist throughout Kansas, primarily along the Union Pacific "Kansas Pacific" line between Topeka and Denver. It is currently unknown where the approach spans were reused from, or if they came from the same location.

After the railroad was abandoned, the bridge was converted to roadway use, later serving 190th Road (County Road 795). The bridge was used by a relatively large volume of vehicles at the time of documentation. This bridge, along with the nearby CB&Q bridge upstream, appear to be well appreciated pieces of history in the area. The bridge was rebuilt with a bituminous deck when it was opened to traffic. Overall, the bridge appeared to be in fair to poor condition at the time of documentation. The timber substructures of the bridge, as well as the deck, showed signs of deterioration. As of 2022, funding has been awarded to construct a new highway bridge downstream, and preserve this structure in place. It is likely that the timber components of the bridge are approaching 100 years old, and will likely need to be reconstructed for the bridge to be preserved for the long term future. One possible solution would be to construct new steel and concrete piers for the bridge. The author has ranked this bridge as being nationally significant, due to the use of a rare Pegram through truss. It is hoped that proper steps are taken to ensure this bridge is preserved for generations to come.