Jefferson Avenue Footbridge: bright light of Springfield
The nation's longest footbridge is located in northern Springfield, Mo. The 562-foot Jefferson Avenue Footbridge crosses 13 sets of train tracks and provides a lovely view — both for those peering down from its height and for those peering up at the bridge.
The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Locomotives still rumble through underneath the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, which was renovated in 1998 and painted a gleaming white and decked out in lights. Trains clear the bridge by just a few inches, providing a small thrill for onlookers. Young and old, train buffs turn out at all hours to view the passing trains. At night, the lovely bridge serves as a landmark for the historic Commercial Street historic district.
The footbridge was built in 1902 to allow pedestrians to cross over the perilous stretch of train tracks, which, at one point, numbered 16 railroad tracks of the now-defunct St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, also known as the Frisco Line. The three-span steel cantilever through truss bridge — the first cantilevered bridge in Missouri — is located on Jefferson Avenue between Commercial and Chase streets.
Unlike most bridges, the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge has a set of stairs at either end. When built, the bridge was intended to accommodate bicycles, as well, and the bridge originally had bicycle ramps. Sadly, the bicycle ramps were removed in 1954. The C-Street area in which the bridge resides prospered until the 1970s, when the area became blighted. The bridge was renovated in time for a celebration in honor of the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge's centennial in 2002.
- by Ivonne Rovira, Springfield Reporter for HelloMetro
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Ivonne RoviraA graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.
