Yancopin Bridge

There are many bridges that cross the Arkansas River as it makes its way from Colorado to the Mississippi River, ranging from the Royal Gorge Bridge to the Big Dam Bridge. But the very last bridge that the Arkansas flows beneath is the Yancopin Bridge, located in a swath of thick forest about 15 miles upstream from the Mississippi River.



The Yancopin Bridge was built in 1903, and is a single-track truss railroad bridge. It has two different movable spans, one that lifts and the other that would spin out to make room for passing boats. Of course, the bridge hasn't been used for rail service since the 1990s and was left abandoned for several decades. But it's now under rennovation by the state of Arkansas, which is converting it into a pedestrian and biking bridge.



It's now part of the Delta Heritage Trail State Park, which is taking the old rail right-of-way and converting it into a trail. There were workers on the bridge when I went by the other day (who were kind enough to show me around), and the renovation should be completed later this year. It will be cool to be able to walk across it when it's completed.