The original bridge began construction in 1921 and opened on March 14, 1923. An estimated 50,000 people attended the grand opening events. The original five-span structure was 2,783 feet long and 40 feet wide and provided 24.3 feet of vertical clearance. The bridge was developed by the
Broadway-Main Street Bridge District of Pulaski County, a commission created by state legislature for the purpose of constructing bridges across the Arkansas River at Broadway and at Main Street. In 1974, two spans were demolished and replaced with a single
through arch span. This was done to upgrade the bridge to
McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System standards. The contractor is Massman Construction Company, who won the contract with a bid of $98.4 million. The selected design includes two 450-foot spans incorporating
basket handle arches. Each arch is estimated to weigh 2,000 tons. The original bridge was permanently closed on September 28, 2016. The steel arch was demolished with explosives on October 11, 2016. The span remained standing until it was pulled down by tugboats five hours later. Two of three concrete arches from the original portion of the bridge were demolished on October 15, 2016, while the third arch remained standing. The new bridge was opened to the public on March 1, 2017. ==See also==