Pony Express Bridge
Encyclopedia
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
over the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
connecting Elwood, Kansas
Elwood, Kansas
Elwood is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,224. It is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Elwood is located at...
with St. Joseph, Missouri on US-36.
The bridge is referred to in signage as Pony Express Bridges because there are separate bridges for east and west bound traffic. The bridges were built in 1983 to replace a truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
built in 1929. The truss bridge was demolished in March 1984.
The bridge is near the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
stables at its eastern terminus in St. Joseph. US-36 to Marysville, Kansas
Marysville, Kansas
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,294.-History:...
is designated the Pony Express Memorial Highway because it follows the route. The bridge also passes over the family property of Johnny Fry
Johnny Fry
Johnny Fry was the first "official" westbound rider of the Pony Express.Fry was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky to John Fry and Mary Fry...
, the "official" first west-bound rider of the Pony Express.