Whee Bridge

Oak St. at Orner St. Carthage, MO
Phone:

East < GO > West

OK, the Oak Street Bridge is the official name of this bridge, but "Whee Bridge" is more descriptive of the fun of crossing it. The wooden bridge crosses the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Parsons St. on Oak St. (Route 66) just west of Orner St. It gets it nicknames from the feeling you have when you drive over it, sort of like when you crest the top and start down on a roller coaster.

It's not big as bridges go, but since it had to be high enough for a train to pass under and it had to reach that height in one short block it created quite a hill, which leads to the thrill of cresting it. Built around 1920 the bridge is about 56 feet long in total, but the longest span is only 19 feet. The deck is 26 feet wide including a sidewalk on the north side.

Other names associated with this bridge are "Tummy Tickle Bridge" or Tickle Belly Hill.

Photo(s): 2016