These bridges need your help. You can donate directly to the people involved.
Long Shoals Bridge
Fort Scott, Kansas
The Fort Scott / Bourbon County group needs to match $260,000 after last year’s bidding for the move. The new location needs significant abutments and approaches, which raised the cost. The group can pledge $100,000 of the $260,000 required for a new TAP grant application.
The bridge will move to a new trail near the historic fort and cemetery, tying together trails that highlight Fort Scott and Bourbon County’s remarkable array of historic bridges. Costs are established by our original scope of work and by recent bidding. Would they rename the bridge after the move? We bet they might.
Kern Bowstring
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
$20,000 stabilizes this rare Wrought Iron Bridge Co. bowstring, the oldest and longest bowstring bridge in the U.S., which spans two townships. It’s at risk of collapse because of bad abutments, and it has to move because there’s a private landowner on one side.
Pulling the bridge costs about $120,000, and then it needs a new home. The full costs of restoring and moving it haven’t been analyzed yet. To save this bridge, we’d name it whatever you want.