The Bryan Bridge Over The Niobrara River In Northcentral Nebraska

   North-central Nebraska is comprised of seemingly endless miles of low-rolling grass-covered sand hills (not dunes - they are known as the Nebraska Sand Hills, get that right) interrupted by valleys and canyons and a large variety of wetlands which include small lakes, streams and marshes. Those wetlands are there due to the Ogallala aquifer, one of the world's largest freshwater aquifers*.

   There is also a fairly long river flowing from eastern Wyoming / western Nebraska east to the Missouri river at the junction of Nebraska and South Dakota. This is the Niobrara river, and most of the water in that river also springs (yeah, that was intentional) from the Ogallala aquifer.

   While the river is considered low-flow, and there are places where it's barely a shallow stream, it does need to be spanned by bridges in several areas. One of those areas is just south of Valentine, Nebraska, along U.S route 20 (considered state highway 20 in Nebraska)*. 

   In the early 1930's a pin-connected steel truss cantilever arch bridge* was built over the Niobrara river in an area now known as the Niobrara National Scenic River*. The bridge was designed by Josef Sorkin of the State of Nebraska's Division of Bridge Design, who (when interviewed by the National Register of Historic Places representative) stated that he chose that specific design for that specific spot because it was aesthetically pleasing, blended in well with the surroundings, and was economically sound for the building site (not his exact words, but, you know, paraphrasing).

   The bridge was selected by the American Institute of Steel Construction as the Most Beautiful Steel Bridge in Class C (Class C means the bridge cost less than $250,000 to build) for the year 1932.

   It is indeed a beautiful bridge IMHO, and served the community well as the primary span over the Niobrara river in that location along route 20 for 65 years, until it was replaced by a less attractive bridge along a rerouted section of route 20 approximately 2,000 feet to the north in June of 1997.

That is a seriously attractive Art Deco / Arts & Crafts font used on that plaque

    The less attractive bridge that replaced the Bryan bridge for everyday use along a rerouted route 20

    The span - notice where the two cantilevered arches meet in the middle held in place by a single pin.

                                 The Niobrara river, view from the bridge looking west

                Twenty U.S. tons...that's still the current fully loaded legal weight for 53 foot trailers.

   The Bryan bridge was named after the then sitting Governor of Nebraska, Charles W. Bryan - a nice tribute to a man who had the responsibility of leading the state during the early years of the great depression (1931 - 1935) and managed to reduce taxes, limit state spending, and still see the economy flourish.

   The section of what was once state route 20 that the Bryan Bridge is located along is now known as River Road, and can still be used to drive across the river.

* There is a lot that can be written about aquifers, but I'm trying to stay on topic here, so you'll have to look it up yourself.

*There is a lot that can be written about U.S. route 20, but I'm trying to stay on topic here, so you'll have to look it up yourself. 

    

*There is a lot that can be written about steel truss cantilever arch bridges , but I'm trying to stay on topic here, so you'll have to look it up yourself. 

*I'm going to assume you're catching what I'm dropping by now.