Outline of History of Sutherland State Aid Bridge
1911- State of Nebraska begins the state aid bridge program. It stipulated that the state would pay for half the cost of a bridge if the county government would pay for the other half. In all, seventeen concrete arch bridges were built through the program until it was ended in 1936.
March 1914- Bids for the Sutherland state aid bridge on the North Platte River were announced. Four different design variations were to be bid on.
April 1914- Bids were opened and the winning bid went to the Lincoln Construction Company of Lincoln, Nebraska. Their bid was for the construction of a sixteen-foot roadway with fourteen arches. The bid cost was $36,345.
August 1914- Fill dirt was completed and the pile drivers were expected soon. Piles were to be driven thirty feet into the ground.
September 1914-March 1915- Work continued on the bridge.
April 1915- An accident occurred in late April when George Fox fell from the bridge while removing temporary supports that held the concrete forms in place. He hit face down on an abutment and broke his jaw.
July 1915- The North Platte Telegraph newspaper reported the bridge was to be completed in ten days.
October 1915- The bridge is in use and ready for its final inspection.
October 1915- The contractor submitted a claim of $3,500 for royalties for the use of his invention of how the concrete placement was completed. The state was reviewing his claim.
Bibliography
Evening Telegraph. “Inspection of the Sutherland Bridge.” August 8, 1914.
North Platte Semi Weekly Tribune. “Bridge Let to Lincoln Company.” April 10, 1914.
North Platte Semi Weekly Tribune. “Geo. Fox….” April 27, 1915.
North Platte Semi Weekly Tribune. “State Engineer….” February 26, 1915.
North Platte Semi Weekly Tribune. “Work on Sutherland Bridge is Progressing Nicely.” August 11, 1914.
North Platte Telegraph. “Calls for Bids on State Aid Bridge at Sutherland, Lincoln Co., Nebr.” March 5, 1914.
North Platte Telegraph. “Claim for Royalty.” October 28, 1915.
North Platte Telegraph. “Contract Let for Sutherland Bridge.” April 9, 1914.
North Platte Telegraph. “Inspection of the Sutherland Bridge.” August 13, 1914.
North Platte Telegraph. “Man Falls at the Sutherland Bridge Injuring His Face.” April 29, 1915.
North Platte Telegraph. “The Sutherland bridge….” July 22, 1915.
United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Nebraska Division. “Historic Bridges of Nebraska.” Last modified on July 6, 2018. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/nediv/bridges/scottb.cfm.
