James C. Nance Memorial Bridge
James C. Nance Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
US 77 James C. Nance Bridge, a deck truss 2-lane bridge built circa 1938 as seen from the Purcell train station prior to 2019 rebuild as 4 lane concrete pier bridge. | |
| Coordinates | 35°0′51″N 97°21′10″W / 35.01417°N 97.35278°W |
US Highway 77 James C. Nance Memorial Bridge at Canadian River | |
Location in Oklahoma | |
| Location | US 77 / SH-39 over the Canadian R, Lexington, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | 35°0′54″N 97°20′38″W / 35.01500°N 97.34389°W |
| Area | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
| Built | 1938, rebuilt 2019 |
| Built by | Guy H. James |
| Architectural style | Deck Truss Bridge 1938; Concrete Pier Bridge 2019 |
| NRHP reference No. | 03000882 |
| Added to NRHP | September 2, 2003 |
| Carries | 2 lanes of US 77 / SH-39 |
| Crosses | Canadian River |
| Locale | Purcell-Lexington, Oklahoma |
| Maintained by | Oklahoma Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 06593 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Deck truss 1938; Concrete Pier 2019 |
| Total length | 1,110.1 metres (3,642 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1938, rebuilt 2019 |
| Location | |
The US 77 James C. Nance Memorial Bridge connecting Purcell and Lexington was originally built as a circa 1938 deck truss two-lane bridge and in 2019 rebuilt as a concrete pier four-lane bridge crossing the Canadian River and the BNSF Railway between Purcell and Lexington, Oklahoma. The bridge designated on the list of state highways in Oklahoma carries U.S. Route 77 (US-77) and Oklahoma State Highway 39 (SH-39) from McClain County to Cleveland County. The bridge is named for James C. Nance, longtime community newspaper chain publisher and Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate and member of U.S Uniform Law Commission.
The Nance bridge allows travel time from Purcell (west side of the Canadian River) to Lexington (east side of the river) to be only 3 minutes by car, according to google maps. When the bridge was closed (Emergency Closure, below), the same trip was 43 minutes when re-routed North to the nearest bridge, or 1 hour and 4 minutes when re-routed Southeast to the nearest bridge. The Nance bridge features a scenic pedestrian walkway with sweeping views of the South Canadian River valley.
The 1938 construction of this bridge enabled communities from West and Southwest (Byars, Cole, Dibble, Paoli, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Rosedale, and Wayne) side of the river to reach the communities on the east side of the river (Lexington, Slaughterville, and Wanette). Traffic using the bridge allows trade and commerce to freely flow in this retail trade area of southern McClain County, southern Cleveland County, Southern Pottawatomie County, and northern area of Garvin County, and eastern portion of Grady county. The 2019 rebuilt bridge features the same design elements with concrete post and original circa 1938 design wrought iron railings.