Yankton 2011 Visitors Guide
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Life As Recreational Trail In those early years, a toll was imposed on motorists to pay for the structure. On Sept. 8, 1953 after more than 5 million vehicles had paid the toll to cross the Meridian Bridge the City of Yankton declared that it would pay off the bridge and turn its title over to the highway departments of Nebraska and South Dakota. A few weeks later, the Free in 53 Days campaign began as the city expected to make the bridge toll-free on or around Dec. 1, 1953. With the construction of the Discovery Bridge to the west in 2008, plans were solidified to convert the historic Meridian Bridge into a walking and bicycling structure. PCiRoads of St. Michael, Minn., was awarded the project in January 2010. The South Dakota Department of Transportation is the lead agency overseeing the conversion, and the Nebraska Department of Roads is providing support. Once the conversion is complete, the City of Yankton will take over day-to-day maintenance on the structure. Plans are under way to build a recreational trail on the Nebraska side that would connect the bridge to Gavins Point Dam and the Corps of Discovery Visitors Center along Highway 81. The trail would also tie in with trails already existing on the South Dakota side of the Missouri River. Much of the work being done on the bridge involves reinforcing 36 interior and exterior gusset plates that have deteriorated over time. The majority of those are on the spans closest to the Nebraska and South Dakota shores. Painting of the entire bridge will not be done as part of the project because of the large cost associated with such an undertaking. Once the project is complete, officials anticipate the Meridian Bridge will provide at least 25 more years of service to the Yankton area without the need for any major maintenance. VISITORS GUIDE YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA 41
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Life As Recreational Trail In those early years, a toll was imposed on motorists to pay for the structure. On Sept. 8, 1953 after more than 5 million vehicles had paid the toll to cross the Meridian Bridge the City of Yankton declared that it would pay off the bridge and turn its title over to the highway departments of Nebraska and South Dakota. A few weeks later, the Free in 53 Days campaign began as the city expected to make the bridge toll-free on or around Dec. 1, 1953. With the construction of the Discovery Bridge to the west in 2008, plans were solidified to convert the historic Meridian Bridge into a walking and bicycling structure. PCiRoads of St. Michael, Minn., was awarded the project in January 2010. The South Dakota Department of Transportation is the lead agency overseeing the conversion, and the Nebraska Department of Roads is providing support. Once the conversion is complete, the City of Yankton will take over day-to-day maintenance on the structure. Plans are under way to build a recreational trail on the Nebraska side that would connect the bridge to Gavins Point Dam and the Corps of Discovery Visitors Center along Highway 81. The trail would also tie in with trails already existing on the South Dakota side of the Missouri River. Much of the work being done on the bridge involves reinforcing 36 interior and exterior gusset plates that have deteriorated over time. The majority of those are on the spans closest to the Nebraska and South Dakota shores. Painting of the entire bridge will not be done as part of the project because of the large cost associated with such an undertaking. Once the project is complete, officials anticipate the Meridian Bridge will provide at least 25 more years of service to the Yankton area without the need for any major maintenance. VISITORS GUIDE YANKTON, SOUTH DAKOTA 41
