The Government Has a Bridge To Sell You. Or Give You.
Are you looking for a bridge? Iowa has one for you. It’s a 128-foot bowstring-shaped Warren pony truss from 1912. If that’s not your style, you can get a 183-foot trapezoid Pratt through-truss from 1892.
Over in Oklahoma, you can find a camelback truss outside Tulsa. Chances are, your state department of transportation has a few historic bridges it would be happy to turn over to you, provided you take good care of them. In many cases, the bridges are free.
You may have to pay for the move but there might be grant money available. When replacing a bridge, transportation agencies often tear down the old one. But if the bridge is listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, federal law requires they first make an effort to preserve it.
To comply, agencies post their soon-to-be-replaced historic bridges online, hoping to entice somebody to adopt them. In some cases, these bridges retire to trail networks or golf courses where they spend their golden years hosting pedestrians, cyclists and golf carts. But sometimes, they become the prized possession of a small but devoted band of bridge collectors, who give them pride of place on their property.
The $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill President Biden signed in 2021 has money to replace lots of historic bridges. That should create a buyer’s market. What kind of person buys a bridge? Somebody like Bruce Saucier.
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