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Historic Bridge Relocated by Iowa National Guard Chinook Helicopters
The
crowd of hundreds gathered on a cold Wednesday in a nondescript rural field near
Anamosa, Iowa. It was windy and had been threatening rain all morning. In the
distance, a speck appeared in the sky. Soon, you could hear the rhythmic flapping
of the helicopter blades as the speck came further into focus.
The crowd had gathered Wednesday, March 8 to watch a once-in-a-lifetime event: the movement of a historic bridge by helicopter over a distance of about 15 miles. Airlifted in three sections by two Iowa Army National Guard Chinook helicopters, the bridge was carefully placed in its new location at Wapsipinicon State Park just outside Anamosa. The event was documented for The History Channel show, Mega Movers.
The wrought iron Hale Bridge, completed in 1879, replaced a flood-prone wooden structure erected only nine years earlier. The new bridge provided year-round access across the Wapsipinicon River between the northern and southern halves of Hale Township, and spurred economic development in this area of Jones County by providing safe and reliable access to the rail line and depot at Hale Village.
Bowstring types like this one with their distinctive arched or curved trusses largely replaced wooden bridges over major streams and crossings in Iowa in the 1870s and 1880s. While there were literally hundreds of bowstring arch bridges in Iowa by the end of the 19th century, only 21 now remain scattered across the state in Allamakee, Bremer, Crawford, Dubuque, Johnson, Jones, Montgomery, Poweshiek and Winneshiek counties.
The bridge became eligible for the National Register in 1992, but suffered damage in the 1993 floods. After it was repaired in a historically appropriate manner, it was listed on the National Register in 1998. At the time, the three-span bridge was the longest standing bowstring arch bridge in Iowa. A year earlier, however, Jones County officials had closed the bridge to traffic because of deterioration and structural deficiencies.
In 2003, the bridge was dismantled and its three spans were moved into storage for refurbishment and restoration, and to allow construction of the new Hale Bridge.
Meanwhile, the Jones County Historic Preservation Commission took the lead locally in building support for the bridge project through fundraising and volunteer efforts. In addition to considerable financial support from individuals and groups in and outside of Jones County, the Preservation Commission has received $445,000 in grants from the State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa Department of Economic Development, Regional East Central Iowa Council of Government, REAP, RACI and Silos and Smokestacks.
The first $2,000 for the project was donated by King Iron Bridge, the original manufacturer of the Hale Bridge. Allen King Sloan, a descendant of the company’s founder, plans to be in attendance for the move on Wednesday.
Streaming video of the move can be seen on the Des Moines Register Web site at www.desmoinesregister.com.
