Bridge Street Viaduct
Description
Constructed in 1936, the 558-foot, Art Deco-style viaduct on Bridge Street in Jonesboro, Arkansas was an important New Deal-era project in that city. This was part of a larger Works Progress Administration (WPA)-sponsored improvement of the region’s infrastructure. The Arkansas State Highway Commission, with funds provided by the WPA through the Bureau of Public Roads, constructed the $150,000 viaduct that passes over the BNSF Railway, St. Louis Southwestern Railway, and the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.
Fred Luttjohann, a Topeka, Kansas bridge contractor received the contract to construct the steel stringer design bridge. At first, local leaders feared there would not be enough men qualified for relief-work in Jonesboro to work on the project; however, they gained a waiver that allowed non-relief workers to be employed. This viaduct is bridge number AHTD 19071 for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
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Bridge Street Viaduct plaque
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Bridge Street Viaduct
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Bridge Street Viaduct
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Bridge Street Viaduct, view west
Source notes
Corbitt, Teresa. "The Works Progress Administration in Northeast Arkansas." Craighead Country Historical Quarterly, 22(1) 1989:8-15. “Bridge Street Overpass, Craighead County,” Bridgehunter.com, accessed on June 11, 2016. Google Street View, accessed on June 11, 2016. Google Street View, accessed on June 11, 2016.
Project originally submitted by Renee Pinkston on June 14, 2016.
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal project site.
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