Bryan Bridge
N 42° 49.905 W 100° 31.634
14T E 375177 N 4743262
1932 Bridge along old US 20 near Valentine crossing the Niobrara River.
Waymark Code: WM2JZ1
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2007
Views: 44
This arched cantilever truss bridge, connected in the center with a single pin, is the only one of its kind in the United States. It was built in 1932 by the Department of Public Works and named by the local citizenry in honor of Governor Charles Wayland Bryan. The bridge is 289 feet long, has a 24-foot roadway, and cost $55,564. It was designed by Josef Sorkin, who immigrated from Russia in 1923 and graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Engineering in 1929.
This particular design was chosen because it was aesthetically compatible with the surrounding environment of the Niobrara river Valley. the Bryan Bridge was selected as the "Most Beautiful Steel Bridge of 1932 in Class C" by the American institute of Steel Construction, and was the first bridge between Wisconsin and the Pacific Coast to receive such an award.
In 1988 the bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1995 it was designated as a State Historic civil Engineering Landmark by the Nebraska Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Department of Roads
Nebraska State Historical Society
(U.S. 20, east of the Bridge)
Marker Name: Bryan Bridge
Roadside: yes
Web Address if available:: [Web Link]
City: Not Listed
Other: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
Post Pictures:
1. Close up of historical marker
2. Picture of surrounding area (would prefer to have the marker in the picture also). Thanks!