By Josh Margolis
LIBERTY COUNTY, Mont. (NMB) – Pugsley Bridge in Liberty County has been nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
The bridge which was built in 1950, sits on the Marias River 4.5 miles downstream of Tiber Dam. It is the only cable-stayed suspension bridge in Montana and was named after area ranchers Leonard and Moses Pugsley.
Jon Axline is a Historian for the Montana Department of Transportation, and says the unique bridge was built on a tight budget, with a total cost of $51,546, $2,000 less than originally estimated.
“You’re not going to find anything like it anywhere else…The fact that it’s on a county road 26 miles or so south of Chester, is to me, pretty amazing as well. This was a good case of someone being very innovative and designing something that’s lasted this long for the amount of money that was available for them to do so.”
Engineer Thomas Hurdle used a distinctive system of cables and braces to suspend the bridge decking above the river, removing the need for a pier in the river.
Before becoming an engineer, Hurdle was a bomber pilot that flew 35 missions against Nazi Germany before being discharged in 1946.
Eight men were employed on the construction job, with construction equipment consisting only of a backhoe, a concrete mixer, 2-drum hoist, a winch truck, compressor and welding and burning equipment.
“That was quite an accomplishment, building it with only that amount of men and the limited machinery they had. That’s another reason why we should look at it as an important resource as well. I don’t think you could build a bridge with only eight men anymore. Especially not a bridge like that.”
The deck has been replaced a handful of times, and problems with the arch of the bridge deck from stretched cables have been repaired.
On September 16th, the Montana State Historic Preservation Review Board voted to recommend inclusion of the bridge on the federal register. The nomination now goes before the National Park Service for a final decision.
“It’s a no-brainer. It’s not only the only bridge of it’s kind in Montana, but it’s the only bridge of this design in the United States and quite possibly in the entire world. So my guess is it will sail through without any problem. The review board, in fact, didn’t really have any big questions about it. One of the members of the review board doesn’t like the word ‘unique’ being used in nominations, but she said it was appropriate in this case.”
An official decision on approval is expected within about 45 days. Qualified properties can receive preservation benefits and incentives.
