History of Meridian Bridge

(Jefferson River Bridge)

Location: Spanning the Jefferson River at Milepost 2.3 on Cemetery-Meridian Road Willow Creek Vicinity Gallatin and Jefferson Counties

The Meridian Bridge near Willow Creek is a two-span riveted steel Pratt through truss structure. It is located very close to the meridian line established by the first General Land Office Survey in Montana, which gave the bridge its popular designation as the Meridian Bridge.1 Built by the Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company in 1914, the bridge served as a component of an important county-maintained farm-to-market road in Gallatin and Jefferson counties. The bridge represents a successful collaboration between Gallatin, Jefferson, and Broadwater counties to provide access to the railroad station in Willow Creek. The bridge is an early and rare example of a riveted Pratt through truss. It wasn’t until 1915 that the Montana State Highway Commission standardized the use of rivets instead of pin-connections for through truss bridge designs. The Meridian Bridge is one of the first riveted through trusses in Montana and marked the transition from pin connections to riveted structures. The bridge retains all its basic components, including riveting, truss members, floor beams, steel I-beam stringers, and its original dedication plates. Other than routine maintenance of the structure, there have been no significant alterations made to the bridge.