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The term "bridge resources" refers
to both public and privately owned highway, railroad, and
pedestrian bridges, viaducts, and culverts. The study of
bridges is called pontology. Though architects have provided
much valuable input into the design of bridges, traditionally
bridge building has been the business of skilled craftsmen
as well as academically trained engineers.
When a highway
project involves potentially significant bridge resources,
they must be evaluated in terms of their eligibility for
inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places. Most
states have undertaken statewide historic bridge inventory
surveys for this purpose. When identified early in a highway
project, measures are often taken to avoid harm to these
structures. If avoidance is not possible, historic bridges
are "preserved on paper" through documentation
for the Historic American Engineering Record. Reusable bridges
are publicly advertised in an attempt to find them a new
home.
Historical
Bridge Coordinator
The historical
bridge coordinator is a member of the Cultural Resources
Unit of the Environmental Section of the Preliminary Studies
Division of the Missouri Department of Transportation. His
job is to address the impacts of proposed transportation
projects on historic bridges and to develop ways to avoid
or minimize harm to them. The position is governed by federal
and state legislation and regulations.
The HBC tracks
the disposition of bridge resources through the continual
review of the statewide bridge inventory survey and other
sources of information. The HBC assures that memorandums
of Agreement for historic bridges are thoroughly prepared
and executed, and that all MOA stipulations are met. These
stipulations often include preparation of documentation
for the Historic American Engineering Record, which is placed
in the Library of Congress, and advertisement of the availability
of movable bridges for adaptive reuse at a new location
or in place. The HBC also reviews proposals for adaptive
reuse and recommends recipients for historic bridges. The
HBC provides information and aid to a variety of groups
and individuals at the state and local levels in regard
to completion of Section 106 requirements for historic bridges.
Surface Transportation and
Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (STURAA)
Historic
bridges in missouri
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