Frisco Bridge

The Frisco Bridge, previously known as the Memphis Bridge, is a cantilevered through truss bridge carrying a rail line across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee.

Construction

At the time of the Memphis bridge construction, it was a significant technological challenge and is considered to be chief engineer George S. Morison's crowning achievement. No other bridges had ever been attempted on the Lower Mississippi River. Besides the difficulty of crossing this far south, Morison was required to provide at least 75 feet clearance, have a main span of more than 770 ft for the main river channel. He was also required to provide for vehicular and pedestrian traffic on the same level as the rail traffic. Construction for the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad began in 1888 and was completed May 12, 1892. In the end the project created a bridge that was the farthest south on the Mississippi River, featured the longest span in the United States and cost nearly 3 million dollars. A testament to its design and construction, as of 2006 the bridge is still used by BNSF Railway. The bridge is listed as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

See also

• List of crossings of the Lower Mississippi River

References

External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress) - Survey number HAER TN-14, Memphis Bridge
• Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress) - Survey number HAER NE-2. 500+ data pages discuss Chief Engineer George S. Morison and his many bridges including nearly 50 pages about the Memphis Bridge (Frisco Bridge).
• The Memphis Railroad Bridges
• The Frisco Bridge, Past and Present
• Recent Photos of the Frisco Bridge