Benton Street Bridge, Road bridge in Iowa City, United States
Benton Street Bridge is a road bridge crossing the Iowa River in Iowa City with a five-span steel girder structure. It connected the southern and northern parts of town and served as a key crossing point for vehicles and residents moving through the area.
Edward L. Ashton designed this bridge in 1947, and it was completed in 1949 as Iowa's first all-welded steel bridge. It served traffic for about 40 years before being replaced by a new structure in 1989.
Robert Carstens documented the entire construction process through 131 photographs and newspaper clippings, now preserved at the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Visitors should know that the original bridge no longer exists, having been replaced by a modern structure. Information about the historical bridge can be found in local archives and at the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The project introduced new welding techniques that influenced bridge building across the United States and showed engineers that fully welded structures were reliable and cost-effective. This innovation allowed future bridge designs to be built more quickly and safely.
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