Rainbow on the Sheyenne

Rainbow on the Sheyenne. Rainbow Bridge. , “Northern Pacific Times, Valley City, Dakota, July 17, 1879 , , County Commissioners ordered no swimming in sight of the new bridge, several women having complained of the sight of nude bodies when crossing the bridge.” , Built in 1879, the same year that the above article appeared, the wooden bridge was Valley City's first. Prior to its construction, people used a river crossing called Morrison's Ford located 100 yards upstream from here. In 1899, after 20 years of service, the wooden structure was deemed unsafe and replaced with a steel bridge. , The original Rainbow Bridge, built in 1925-26, was chosen for its strength and beauty to replace the steel structure. In 2004, deck deterioration and below standard width caused the signature bridge to be replaced. The community chose another Marsh arch bridge despite the complicated design and associated costs. , [photo and illustration captions] , . Built of wood in 1879, this structure was Valley City’s first bridge for vehicles. , . This steel bridge was moved 25 feet north of its original location to temporarily accommodate traffic during construction of the Rainbow Bridge. , . The original Rainbow Bridge was built in 1925-26 at a cost of $35,688.96. Constructed of reinforced concrete and steel, the bridge had a span of 125 feet, height of 28 feet and weight of 1,655 tons. The new bridge has a span of 146 feet, height of 35 feet and weight of 2,960 tons. , . This section drawing is a view from the east end of the original bridge. The design of the new bridge is similar to the original 1925 design and includes modifications for deck width, span, length, railing height and hanger design. , . The Rainbow Arch bridge, based on a design by Marsh Engineering Company of Des Moines, Iowa, utilizes a through-arch design of structural steel and reinforced concrete. Each arch rib is constructed of four longitudinal steel angles joined together by a lattice of smaller angles and steel bars. Steel hanger bars suspended from the arch are connected to the floor beams which carry the deck and sidewalk. , . The structural steel components which form the skeleton of the bridge are stiffened, strengthened and protected from the elements by concrete. The entire structure rests on 126 steel pilings driven into the riverbed about 60 feet below the roadway. A local design team from Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson closely studied the original bridge patent to redesign the Marsh concept on a larger scale for the new Rainbow Bridge. , . The cut in the riverbank 50 yards to the north is the location of the Northern Pacific railroad bridge which gave the town its first name of “Second Crossing of the Sheyenne.” It was abandoned by the railroad and removed in 1983. This photo was taken during track removal.