Midland Bridge Company

Midland Bridge Company was a bridge-construction firm based in Kansas City, Missouri. The company is documented as having built numerous bridges in the United States, including crossings designed for highways, state routes, county roads, and American Indian reservation routes. Its known work spans several regions of the country, particularly the American West and central United States. The company’s historical significance is closely tied to surviving examples of early twentieth-century bridge engineering. Its projects include suspension bridges, truss bridges, and other major crossings over rivers, lakes, and smaller waterways. Several of these structures have been recognized for their engineering, transportation, or local historical importance and are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Among the best-known works associated with the firm is the Dewey Bridge in southeastern Utah. Completed in 1916 near Moab, the suspension bridge carried Utah State Route 128 over the Colorado River and was described at completion as the second-longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River. The bridge was destroyed by fire in 2008, although its historic designation remained in place. Midland Bridge Company was also associated with the Cameron Suspension Bridge in Cameron, Arizona, which crossed the Little Colorado River for U.S. Route 89 and was regarded as the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River when built. Other documented projects include the Allentown Bridge in Arizona, the Caddo Lake Bridge in Louisiana, the Delaware River Parker Truss Bridge in Kansas, the EJE Bridge over Shell Creek in Wyoming, the Green Bridge in New Mexico, the Hereford Bridge and Hurricane-LaVerkin Bridge in Arizona and Utah respectively, the Long Shoals Bridge in Kansas, and the Park Avenue Bridge in Arizona. These projects show the firm’s involvement in transportation infrastructure across a broad geographic area rather than in a single local market. Available reference material provides limited information about the company’s founding, ownership, leadership, financial position, later operating history, or present-day activities. Accordingly, Midland Bridge Company is best characterized in this entry as a historically documented American bridge builder, with its public profile centered on notable infrastructure works rather than consumer branding or a currently documented product portfolio.

Midland Bridge Company was a bridge-building firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The available historical record identifies the company through the bridges it constructed and through the subsequent preservation status of several of those works. The firm’s documented projects were distributed across the United States and served a range of transportation purposes, including state highways, federal routes, county roads, and reservation roads. The company’s work reflects the expansion and modernization of American road infrastructure during the early twentieth century. Its portfolio included both suspension and truss structures, suggesting experience with different bridge forms and site requirements. Many of the documented crossings carried roads over substantial natural obstacles, including the Colorado River, Little Colorado River, Virgin River, Puerco River, San Pedro River, Little Osage River, San Francisco River, Caddo Lake, and Shell Creek. The Dewey Bridge is one of the firm’s most prominent surviving historical associations. Built in 1916 northeast of Moab, Utah, it carried Utah State Route 128 across the Colorado River. At the time of its completion, it was considered the second-longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River. The bridge later became a recognized historic resource, but a fire destroyed it in 2008. Its continued National Register listing reflects the historical importance of the structure and its role in regional transportation history rather than its continued physical use. Another major project was the Cameron Suspension Bridge at Cameron, Arizona. The bridge carried U.S. Route 89 over the Little Colorado River and was identified as the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River at the time it was constructed. Its scale and location illustrate the type of infrastructure challenge undertaken by the company as highways expanded across the American West. The firm’s documented work also includes the Allentown Bridge over the Puerco River near Houck, Arizona; the Caddo Lake Bridge on Louisiana Highway 538 near Mooringsport, Louisiana; and the Delaware River Parker Truss Bridge near Perry, Kansas. Additional listed works include the EJE Bridge over Shell Creek near Shell, Wyoming; the Green Bridge near Las Cruces, New Mexico; the Hereford Bridge over the San Pedro River in Hereford, Arizona; the Hurricane-LaVerkin Bridge over the Virgin River in Utah; the Long Shoals Bridge over the Little Osage River in Kansas; and the Park Avenue Bridge over the San Francisco River in Clifton, Arizona. Several of these structures are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Their preservation records provide the clearest surviving evidence of Midland Bridge Company’s geographic reach and technical contribution. However, the available references do not establish a founding date, named founder, corporate succession, ownership history, executive roster, financial results, or confirmed present-day operating status. The company’s encyclopedia profile therefore remains focused on its documented historic bridge projects and legacy in American civil engineering.

• 2008

  Dewey Bridge destroyed by fire

  [1]Midland Bridge Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The historic Dewey Bridge was destroyed by fire, although it continued to be recognized through its National Register of Historic Places listing.

• 1916

  Dewey Bridge completed

  [1]Midland Bridge Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company completed the Dewey Bridge near Moab, Utah, carrying Utah State Route 128 across the Colorado River. It was described at completion as the second-longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River.

• Cameron Suspension Bridge constructed

  [1]Midland Bridge Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The firm built the Cameron Suspension Bridge at Cameron, Arizona, across the Little Colorado River for U.S. Route 89. It was regarded as the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River at the time of construction.

Historic American bridge contractor associated with major transportation crossings and regionally significant early twentieth-century bridge engineering.

• Suspension bridge · 1916

  Dewey Bridge

  Completed in 1916 near Moab, Utah, the Dewey Bridge carried Utah State Route 128 over the Colorado River. It was a major early highway suspension bridge and was described as the second-longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River when completed. The structure was later destroyed by fire in 2008 but retained National Register recognition.

• Suspension bridge

  Cameron Suspension Bridge

  The Cameron Suspension Bridge in Cameron, Arizona, carried U.S. Route 89 across the Little Colorado River. Its construction represented a significant highway crossing in the American Southwest, and the bridge was considered the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi River when it was built.

• Road bridge

  Allentown Bridge

  The Allentown Bridge carried Indian Route 9402 over the Puerco River near milepost 9.1 at Houck, Arizona. It is among the Midland Bridge Company works identified as being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Road bridge

  Caddo Lake Bridge

  The Caddo Lake Bridge carried Louisiana Highway 538 over Caddo Lake near Mooringsport, Louisiana. The bridge is documented as a National Register-listed work associated with Midland Bridge Company.

• Parker truss bridge

  Delaware River Parker Truss Bridge

  Located on Bridge Street near Perry, Kansas, the Delaware River Parker Truss Bridge crossed the Delaware River and is recognized as one of the company’s historically significant bridge projects.

• Bridge-construction portfolio

  Other documented historic bridges

  Additional documented works include the EJE Bridge over Shell Creek in Wyoming, Green Bridge near Las Cruces in New Mexico, Hereford Bridge over the San Pedro River in Arizona, Hurricane-LaVerkin Bridge over the Virgin River in Utah, Long Shoals Bridge over the Little Osage River in Kansas, and Park Avenue Bridge over the San Francisco River in Arizona. Several are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

1. 1Midland Bridge Companyen.wikipedia.org