Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge, Road bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs, United States
The Ak-Sar-Ben Bridge is a road bridge that spans the Missouri River between Omaha in Nebraska and Council Bluffs in Iowa. It features a Whipple through truss design that carries traffic across the river connecting these two communities.
The structure was built in 1888 and was the first road bridge to cross the Missouri River between Omaha and Council Bluffs. It operated as a toll bridge until 1947, when it became free for all vehicles to use.
The bridge took its name from the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, an organization founded in 1895 that spelled Nebraska backwards to create their identity. This name remains rooted in local memory and reflects how the community shaped its own symbols and stories.
Visitors should know that the original bridge was demolished in 1968 and is no longer passable by vehicle. However, one pier from the original structure remains in the river and can be seen from various viewpoints along the shoreline.
Even though the bridge was completely demolished in 1968, the east pier still stands in the river as a reminder of the original 1888 construction. This solitary pier is a quiet testament to 19th-century engineering and shows that not everything from the past structure was erased.
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