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November 22, 2009

Anonymous The Joplin Globe Sun Nov 22, 2009, 11:40 PM CST

By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

PURCELL, Mo. — The historic Quaker Mill bridge will soon be history itself.

The pony-truss bridge, which spans Spring River on Route D southwest of Purcell, was built in 1900. It is to be torn down next spring and replaced with a new bridge, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

The bridge was closed to traffic on Oct. 14 after a routine inspection uncovered serious safety issues.

Interest has been expressed in moving the bridge to Kellogg Lake at Carthage, but county and highway officials say that is unlikely.

Jim Honey, a Jasper County commissioner, said he had been contacted by a party associated with Kellogg Lake who thought the bridge might be moved there.

Honey said the relocation costs would be too high, and that the bridge does not appear to be long enough to be useful at the lake. The bridge spans 138 feet.

Wendy Brunner-Lewis, spokeswoman for MoDOT, said the department owns the bridge, and it is not for sale. Moving the bridge, she said, would inhibit the contractor’s ability to quickly replace it next spring.

“It will be the first bridge of the season to be redone,” Brunner-Lewis said. “It will be torn down and rebuilt in 30 to 45 days. Work should start in March.”

The new bridge will be roughly the same width as the Quaker Mill bridge, but it will be made of concrete. The contractor is KTU Constructors, which bid the work in a bundle with 802 other bridge projects. The exact cost of replacing the bridge is not yet known, Brunner-Lewis said.

Marvin Van Gilder, a Jasper County historian, said the bridge is an important piece of history.

“The main thing about that bridge is that it was a vital part of the economy of Jasper County a long time ago,” he said. “That bridge was important to the delivery of grain to the Quaker Mill, which was one of the largest mills in Jasper County.”

Van Gilder said the wheat for making flour came from the north and west parts of Jasper County, and from Barton County.

“It was delivered in wagons pulled by oxen, mules or horses,” he said. “There were hardly any vehicles then. That bridge was built for wagons and buggies.”

The bridge gets its name from a Quaker settlement near Purcell and Alba. The land for the mill was given in 1843 by John Purcell, a pioneer family in Jasper County, according to historical accounts.

By 1874, the settlement had a population of 150, two meeting houses, one store and a school.

The bridge last year had an average daily traffic count of 3,044 vehicles.

Bridge program

The Quaker Mill bridge is being replaced as part of the state’s Safe & Sound Bridge Program. The goal of the program is to improve 802 of the state’s lowest-rated bridges by 2014. Details: www.modot.org/safeandsound/index.htm.