July 7, 2013: The Wagon Wheel Bridge in Boone County was accessible to pedestrians after its closure to traffic. In the foreground is the portion of the bridge that was damaged in early August 2015 and removed.
One of Iowa’s most impressive but little-publicized early 20th century bridges is going to have to come down.
The Wagon Wheel Bridge in Boone County over the Des Moines River, just upstream from the Kate Shelley High Bridges, had suffered a significant blow in August when the east approach was set on fire.
Earlier this week, during a period of warm weather that caused springlike flooding, ice jams slammed into the bridge, skewing the pilings and making what remained of the bridge unstable. It’s going to have to be torn down. (As if we needed another reason to hate freeze-thaw cycles.)
It was a beautiful summer day when I visited the bridge. It will be sad to lose this historic structure.
(h/t Austin Draude)