Built in 1915 in Tama, Iowa, the Lincoln Highway Bridge is shown before it was closed to traffic. A new route could save the iconic bridge. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

TAMA, Iowa — A new route through Tama will bypass the more than century-old Lincoln Highway Bridge, offering an opportunity to save the iconic structure.

Built in 1915, the Lincoln Highway Bridge is the last original bridge remaining along the historic transcontinental highway, but has fallen into disrepair in recent years. The bridge was closed while city leaders and residents have debated its future.

Related: Landmarks dot Lincoln Highway through Iowa

Late last year, the Tama City Council approved a Department of Transportation realignment of Fifth Street to bypass the bridge. The town of just over 3,000 residents is in east-central Iowa.

History abounds in Tama, Iowa, with buildings such as the Cherry Mansion, built in 1903. (photo/Cindy Hadish)

The nonprofit Prairie Rivers of Iowa noted Jan. 16, 2025, that the new route avoids the historic bridge, and a core team of stakeholders has been assembled to discuss a future resolution for the bridge.

Read more by Byway Coordinator Jeanie Hau:

It is official, the City of Tama, Iowa, home of the iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge, has announced that they are going forward with an alternate traffic route of 5th Street, thereby avoiding the historic bridge. Construction of the alternate route is to begin in April with work to be done by PK Construction. The route will curve around the bridge on the west and connect with Business 30 to the north. There will no longer be access to the bridge by vehicles.

The now iconic Lincoln Highway Bridge was built in 1915 by architect, Paul N. Kingsley, who became world renowned for his design talent. He designed the Tama bridge based on the slab bridge design by the Iowa Highway Commission. Instead of balusters, the decorative railing spells out the words, “Lincoln Highway.” It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 1978.

The bridge was paid for by the citizens of Tama who were proud that the Lincoln Highway route went through their town and saw the design of the bridge as a way to advertise and distinguish their bridge from hundreds of others across the U.S. Longtime Tama resident, Charles Betz, recently found a photo with additional local advertisements on the bridge railing.

For over 100 years, Lincoln Highway travelers and then enthusiasts from all over the world would drive over the bridge, stop to see it up close, and take photos. They have been known to ship their cars to New York, travel the entire Lincoln Highway route from Times Square to San Francisco, and then ship their cars home.

The Lincoln Highway through Tama is also a farm-to-market road. For many years, residents, farmers, and truckers have traveled the Lincoln Highway through the town on this main route. Maintenance has been continuous over the last 100 years and the community continues take pride in their bridge. Tama-Toledo has adopted the bridge as their identity by using the image in welcome signs on Hwy 30, in their town logo, with a small replica at city hall, and the annual Bridge Festival in May.

The existing bridge can no longer hold the load of vehicular traffic. With the alternate traffic route for 5th Street avoiding the bridge, the future of the concrete bridge continues to be hopeful.

Read more: Change underway in Iowa’s “Bohemian Alps”

A marker notes the history of the Lincoln Highway bridge in Tama, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)