Janice, thought you might get a kick out of this. It's from the newspaper in the teeny-tiny town in rural Kansas where my mom grew up in the 30's and 40's. I take a road trip there every spring and spend a week wandering around her old stomping ground. The whole town knows me and makes a point to say hello to "Jackie's girl" cause she was quite something back in the day, and they tell me I'm the spittin' image of her. I have to carry around her old photo albums in my trunk cause some of her old beaus always insist on looking at the pics of the good old days, and I'm happy to oblige. Anyhoo...
Posted: Sunday, May 13, 2012 1:07 pm
Bridge, viaduct, or what?
By Ned Valentine, Clay Center Dispatch
So what do we call the new $4.4 million structure on west Crawford bridging Huntress Creek?
Some say the new structure isn’t a viaduct because no train track or road will pass under it. The proper term, we have been assured, is “bridge.”
That was distressing, since back as far as the memory of man runneth not to the contrary it has been known as “the viaduct.” Remembering to refer to it instead as the “Crawford Street bridge” would take some effort. So, we consulted an engineer who said he just couldn’t be sure without looking it up.
Merriam Webster to the rescue: What is being replaced on west US24 was a viaduct. And it’s replacement will be a viaduct also.
Technically, a viaduct is an elevated roadway, usually consisting of a series of short spans supported by arches, piers or columns, according to Merriam. A bridge simply is any structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle.
The two definitions sound almost indistinguishable, but they’re not. While all viaducts are bridges, not all bridges are viaducts.
The piers of the new Crawford Street bridge are columns, and the roadway is being elevated to accommodate flooding of Huntress Creek. (Despite being 12 feet lower, you still won’t be able to see the far end of the bridge when you start across from the opposite end).
While few ever called the old viaduct “the bridge,” many, who apparently couldn’t remember the word “viaduct,” called it “the overpass.”
An overpass, it isn’t, Merriam says. Overpass isn’t even a noun. It’s a verb meaning to pass across, over or beyond; or to transgress; or to disregard or ignore.
One can overpass something, but not on an overpass. So, it is best to disregard or ignore “overpass.”
Whatever it is, the contractor is still on schedule. With any luck, it may be completed before the Nov. 14 deadline. If the Court Street bridge is any guide, the viaduct will be a handsome addition to our community when finished.