Mile 734.7 - The Frisco Bridge

734.7 The Frisco Bridge

It must be a law that any type of architectural structure in Memphis should have more than one name. The Frisco Bridge is no exception. Its original name was The Great Bridge at Memphis. Later that was shortened to “The Memphis Bridge,” and commonly referred to as “The Iron Bridge.” The name was changed again to The Frisco Bridge when the Harahan Bridge was built in 1916. But no matter what name you call it, it is considered one of America's great bridges.

The Frisco Bridge was the first bridge built on the lower Mississippi, and the only bridge south of St. Louis when it opened in 1892. Building it was a monumental undertaking. The US Army insisted on a 770 foot clear span for river navigation, and at least 75 feet of vertical clearance under the bridge. The result was that the Frisco Bridge had the longest span of any bridge in the US at this time. In order to secure a building permit, city officials insisted that the bridge somehow would carry pedestrian and buggy traffic as well as trains. Thus the deck was built somewhat wider than would have been required for a single railroad track. As a result, two way buggy traffic was periodically allowed. If a train needed to cross the bridge, wagon and buggy traffic was stopped and cleared from the bridge, and then the train was allowed to cross.