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Melan Bridge

Iowa, US

Melan Bridge

The Melan Bridge is located in Emma Sater Park on the east side of Rock Rapids, Iowa, United States. The 30-by-16-foot (9.1 by 4.9 m) structure is believed to be the third reinforced concrete arch span built in the country. Austrian engineer Josef Melan developed a new system of concrete reinforceme

nt for bridge construction in the early 1890s. A fellow Austrian, Fritz von Emperger, introduced the system in the United States, and obtained a patent for it in 1893. Von Emperger designed this bridge the same year to span a crossing over Dry Creek south of Rock Rapids. John Olsen, a builder from Rock Rapids, was contracted to build the structure. William S. Hewett of Minnesota was the construction supervisor. The cement for the bridge was imported from Germany for $3.25 per barrel. It was mixed with sand and crushed jasper. The reinforcing is composed of five 4-inch (10 cm) beams that are embedded in a concrete rib that narrows to 6 inches (15 cm) at the crown. The spandrels are faced with Sioux Falls Jasper. The total cost for the project was $830. The narrow roadway made the bridge unfit for automobile traffic, and it was removed in the early 1960s. Due to local public sentiment, the...

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