- Mears Memorial Bridge
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Mears Memorial Bridge 
View of bridge shortly after completion in 1923Carries Single track of Alaska Railroad Crosses Tanana River Locale Nenana, Alaska Owner Alaska Railroad Designer Modjeski and Angier Design Simple truss bridge (Pennsylvania through truss) Material Steel Longest span 700 feet (210 m) Constructed by American Bridge Company Opened February 1923 Coordinates 64°34′02″N 149°04′43″W / 64.5670978°N 149.0786362°WCoordinates: 64°34′02″N 149°04′43″W / 64.5670978°N 149.0786362°W The Mears Memorial Bridge is a truss bridge on the Alaska Railroad, completed in 1923. The bridge spans the Tanana River at Nenana and is among the largest simple truss-type bridges in the world.
The bridge’s namesake, Colonel Frederick Mears, was chairman and chief engineer of the Alaskan Engineering Commission, the railroad’s builder and original operator. He was also the brother-in-law of another well-known military officer, Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV.
The bridge was the final link in the railroad, entering service in February 1923, a year after the rest of the 470 miles (760 km) line was finished. The AEC hired the Chicago firm of Ralph Modjeski and Angier to design the bridge, and the American Bridge Company to fabricate and erect it. The 700-foot-long (210 m) Pennsylvania through truss was the longest truss span in the United States when completed.
This bridge remains the third longest simple truss in North America and the longest span of any kind in Alaska (the Juneau-Douglas Bridge main span across Gastineau Channel at Juneau ranks second at 620 feet).
President Warren G. Harding traveled to Alaska to drive the ceremonial golden spike at the north end of the bridge in July 1923. It was one of Harding’s last public appearances prior to his death.
References
- Reckard, Matthew (1999). "The Mears Memorial Bridge." The Ester Republic. Accessed 2011-08-14.
External links
Categories:- Alaska Railroad
- Bridges completed in 1923
- Memorial bridges in the United States
- Railroad bridges in Alaska
- Steel bridges
- Truss bridges
- Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska
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