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Rainbow Bridge (Kansas)
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow Bridge is an old bridge over Brush Creek approximately two miles west of Riverton, Kansas
on former U.S. Route 66
, now a county road. The bridge is a single-span concrete Marsh arch bridge
and is the sole surviving bridge of this type on the entire length of the former highway. Two other Marsh arch bridges were also located on US 66 in Kansas, both over the Spring River
. It was built in 1923.
The bridge has often been covered with graffiti, but was recently re-painted white. The bridge has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
(as the Brush Creek Bridge) on March 10, 1983, due to its connection with Route 66 and is also a Kansas state landmark.
The bridge is fairly narrow, and due to traffic on the road, a replacement bridge has been built. The road curves toward the new bridge toward Baxter Springs
, but a short, one-way road carries traffic to the Rainbow Bridge, which may still be crossed. This was part of a compromise after a disagreement between the county and the Kansas Route 66 Association as federal funds used for construction of the new bridge required demolition of the old. The bridge had been listed with the National Register, which prohibited condemnation of the old bridge.http://www.bonus.com/bonus/nav/scooter/scooterize.htmp?loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebonus%2Ecom%2Fcontour%2Flegends%5Famerica%2Fhttp%40%40%2Fwww%2Elegendsofamerica%2Ecom%2FOZ%2DRiverton%2Ehtml&useragent=Mozilla%2F4%2E0+%28compatible%3B+MSIE+6%2E0%3B+Windows+NT+5%2E1%3B+SV1%3B+YPC+3%2E2%2E0%3B+%2ENET+CLR+1%2E1%2E4322%3B+yplus+5%2E1%2E03b%29&refv=1&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch%2Eyahoo%2Ecom%2Fsearch%3Ffr%3Dsbc%2Dweb%26tab%3D%26p%3DBrush%2BCreek%2BBridge%2BKansas&entry=bonus&SERVER=www%2Ebonus%2Ecom]
Inthe year 2000, country singer, Brad Paisley
, performed "Route 66
" on the bridge for the TLC
special, "Route 66: Main Street America".
Riverton, Kansas
Riverton is a small unincorporated community at the junction of K-66 and U.S. Route 69 Alternate and U.S. Route 400 in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. It is located near the Spring River and has a population of 600. It is one of only three towns in Kansas on U.S...
on former U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
, now a county road. The bridge is a single-span concrete Marsh arch bridge
James Barney Marsh
James Barney Marsh was an engineer and bridge designer born in North Lake, Wisconsin. He was a graduate of Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts in Ames....
and is the sole surviving bridge of this type on the entire length of the former highway. Two other Marsh arch bridges were also located on US 66 in Kansas, both over the Spring River
Spring River (Missouri)
The Spring River is a waterway located in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma. It begins in northern Barry County, Missouri south of Aurora, flows north of Verona and turns west across Lawrence and Jasper counties, passing through Carthage, before crossing into...
. It was built in 1923.
The bridge has often been covered with graffiti, but was recently re-painted white. The bridge has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(as the Brush Creek Bridge) on March 10, 1983, due to its connection with Route 66 and is also a Kansas state landmark.
The bridge is fairly narrow, and due to traffic on the road, a replacement bridge has been built. The road curves toward the new bridge toward Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs, Kansas
Baxter Springs is a town situated along the Spring River in the extreme southeastern part of Cherokee County, located in southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,238...
, but a short, one-way road carries traffic to the Rainbow Bridge, which may still be crossed. This was part of a compromise after a disagreement between the county and the Kansas Route 66 Association as federal funds used for construction of the new bridge required demolition of the old. The bridge had been listed with the National Register, which prohibited condemnation of the old bridge.http://www.bonus.com/bonus/nav/scooter/scooterize.htmp?loc=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebonus%2Ecom%2Fcontour%2Flegends%5Famerica%2Fhttp%40%40%2Fwww%2Elegendsofamerica%2Ecom%2FOZ%2DRiverton%2Ehtml&useragent=Mozilla%2F4%2E0+%28compatible%3B+MSIE+6%2E0%3B+Windows+NT+5%2E1%3B+SV1%3B+YPC+3%2E2%2E0%3B+%2ENET+CLR+1%2E1%2E4322%3B+yplus+5%2E1%2E03b%29&refv=1&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch%2Eyahoo%2Ecom%2Fsearch%3Ffr%3Dsbc%2Dweb%26tab%3D%26p%3DBrush%2BCreek%2BBridge%2BKansas&entry=bonus&SERVER=www%2Ebonus%2Ecom]
Inthe year 2000, country singer, Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
, performed "Route 66
Route 66 (song)
" Route 66", often rendered simply as "Route 66", is a popular song and rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. It was first recorded in the same year by Nat King Cole, and was subsequently covered by many artists including Chuck Berry in 1961, The Rolling...
" on the bridge for the TLC
TLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
special, "Route 66: Main Street America".