Built in 1902, Springfield's Jefferson Avenue Footbridge is a three-span steel cantilever through truss footbridge and the first of its kind known to be built in Missouri. It originally spanned 16 railroad tracks of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, the Frisco Line, and the 563-foot-long structure was constructed by the American Bridge Company of Pennsylvania with construction engineering by J.W. Hoover of Kansas City, Missouri. Its innovative cantilever design allowed workers to build outward over the tracks while minimizing impacts to the rail lines below. The bridge was built at public expense after the Frisco, Springfield's largest employer, threatened to move its division headquarters out of Springfield, and it addressed a long-standing problem by allowing residents north of the rail yard to reach Commercial Street, the principal business district of North Springfield, without crossing 16 busy tracks on foot. The bridge originally cost $8,500. Although it has undergone changes such as the removal of bicycle ramps and earlier restoration efforts, it retains its integrity of material, association, setting, and function. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 and continued to serve as an important pedestrian and bicycle connection and as a symbol of growth and opportunity before closing on March 1, 2016, after inspectors found corrosion and steel loss. A structural evaluation by Great River Engineering found that one of every three primary members lacked adequate capacity and needed repair or strengthening, six of the 10 vertical columns in the south approach needed strengthening, stairs on both approaches needed replacement, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility needed to be incorporated, and the failing paint system should be removed and replaced with a three-coat system. After these results were presented in late 2016, public input supported full rehabilitation, and the city approved about $200,000 for structural design. Federal funding was secured toward the $3.2 million rehabilitation, with eighty percent coming from Surface Transportation Block Grants and a twenty percent local match from several sources, including local sales taxes and funds raised by the Commercial Club of Springfield. Because the bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and must provide equitable access, rehabilitation plans selected in early 2018 included small light-duty lift elevators at the north and south ends and reconstructed stairs, and in early 2019 interested local and national parties joined the State Historic Preservation Office Section 106 consultation process to discuss the proposed designs and the historical documentation of planned modifications.
