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Harahan Bridge/"Big River Crossing" (Memphis, TN)

The opening of the Frisco Bridge in 1892 transformed Memphis into a national railroad hub and within only a few years of its completion, the railroad infrastructure of the area (as well as the bridge itself) had become dated and inadequate to serve the large increase in cross-river traffic demand both locally and regionally. The solution was the construction of a parallel bridge at the same location that would address the rising demands of the railroad industry, while being forward-looking in how it would handle new-age modes of transportation. This bridge, the Harahan Bridge, was completed in 1916 and was the second bridge completed across the lower Mississippi River at Memphis. City of Memphis officials (including then-Mayor E.H. Crump) reached an agreement on the scope of the new project with the Rock Island Railroad in 1912 and construction began the following year. Like the Frisco Bridge next door, the Harahan Bridge was a major design achievement for another prominent American ci
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