Following approval of the bridge plans in 1902, limited construction activities began that year.[3] Following litigation over right of way that prevented certain work from proceeding from May 1902 to April 1903,[4] construction continued with the concrete arch approach structures in 1903, and the bridge superstructure itself in 1904.[3] The legal issues "delayed considerably" the completion of the Missouri approach work, one of the main river piers, and led to an increased expense in constructing the superstructure.[4] The bridge was dedicated in May 1905.
The designer of the bridge was Polish-AmericanengineerRalph Modjeski.[5] Contractors included C. Macdonald & Co. of New York, J.S. Paterson Construction Company of Chicago, MacArthur Brothers of Chicago, and American Bridge Company of New York. The American Bridge Company in turn subcontracted the superstructure's erection to Kelley-Atkinson Construction Co of Chicago.[4]
The Missouri Pacific and SLIM&S merged in 1917, and in 1945 the C&EI sold its 1/5 share to the Missouri Pacific, giving the latter company, since merged into the UP, a majority interest.
^Glomb, Jozef; Peter J. Obst (Translator) (2002) (in English). A man who spanned two eras: The story of bridge engineer Ralph Modjeski. Philadelphia: Kosciuszko Foundation. ISBN978-0-917004-25-4.
Further reading
Cook, Richard J. (1987). The Beauty of Railroad Bridges in North America -- Then and Now. Golden West Books, California (USA). ISBN0-87095-097-5.
Moody's Steam Railroads 1949 by John Moody of Moody's Investor Service
Modjeski, Ralph (February 17, 1905). "Thebes Bridge". Transactions of the Association of Civil Engineers of Cornell University. 13 (published June 1905): 11–24.
