Want something really unique to spruce up your property? You’re in luck. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is giving away eight historic bridges for free.
According to a page on the department’s website titled “Free Bridges!” MoDOT, along with its local transportation partners, is looking for proposals to reuse bridges that could be replaced or demolished
All eight bridges that are up for grabs are listed on (or eligible for listing on) the National Register of Historic Places. Offering historic bridges for free is actually enshrined in a piece of federal legislation. The law reads: “Any State that proposes to demolish a historic bridge for a replacement project … shall first make the historic bridge available for a State, locality, or responsible private entity.”
If you claim one of the free historic bridges, you will have to dig into your pockets to cover the cost of transporting it. If that sounds daunting, don’t worry: MoDOT is offering to put up to 80 percent of the cost of demolishing the bridge toward transporting it to its new home.
The free bridges truly are a great deal. However, there are a couple of catches.
The bridges’ new owners must assume all financial and legal responsibility, including liability. If you bring a bridge home with you, you must also be able to maintain it and all its features that give it “historic significance.”
At Rackers Equipment Company, we’re proud to support the road crews in our area by offering the new and used aggregate equipment they need to build and maintain Missouri’s roadways. To learn more, feel free to give us a call or contact us online today!
