Our next Pic of the Week paying tribute to David Backlin takes us to one of the main bridge attractions in the state of Kansas. The Cedar Vale Bridge is a two-span Marsh through arch bridge that used to carry Route 66 in Chautauqua County. The 292-foot long, 20 feet wide bridge was built by Marsh Engineering of Des Moines, Iowa- using the design patented by James B. Marsh. J.S. Vance and Sons of Parsons, KS was contracted to construct the bridge, which has two 140-foot long through arch spans. The arches feature a Art Deco design that stretches from end to end, thus making it one of the more ornamental of the rainbow arches designed by Marsh.
The bridge was photographed by Mr. Backlin in 2013, however Nathan Holth and crew visited the bridge in 2016 and documented the structure, which you can find per link by clicking here. The bridge is still standing and has been extensively documented by HABS-HAER-HALS. It’s also elgible for the National Register. Yet according to Mr. Holth, the time is ripe to restore the structure as sections of the arches are cracked and spalling. Whether the bridge has been restored yet or not remains open.
The Bridgehunter's Chronicles 