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Kearney, NE


9/26/2006	Our location - Archway Monument, Kearney, Nebraska
The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is an interactive adventure that pays tribute to the pioneers who passed through this region of Nebraska on their way West. From 1845 to 1860, more than quarter of a million men, women, and children rode and walked the 2,000 miles from Missouri to the West Coast. The distance was vast, the prairie endless, the sky overwhelming and the mountains and wildlife were unlike anything they had ever seen. These pioneers persevered through a strong will and determination, carrying their cherished belongings in wagons or strapped to burros; and pushed or floated handcarts over mountains, rivers, and valleys. Nobody who took the trip, and lived to tell about it, failed to be changed by it. These early pioneers where shaped by what they saw and experienced, and they have provided America a heritage that is a living spirit that molds our nation’s character today. The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument pays tribute to the great Americans who traveled this long and arduous route across the great prairies and over the South Pass. During their trek across America, they encountered Native American tribes; trappers and traders making their way to annual rendezvous; stagecoach drivers and their passengers; pony express riders; and the telegraph. As the early settlers established their homesteads, they witnessed the birth of the railroads, the Lincoln Highway, America’s first transcontinental road; I-80, the nation’s first interstate; and America’s Information Highway, the fiber optic cable that today links a nation. The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is a tribute to the perseverance of the pioneer and the ingenuity that developed our wonderfully diverse culture and dynamic American heritage
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	The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument is an interactive adventure that pays tribute to the pioneers who passed through this region of Nebraska on their way West.
	Mark at the entrance.
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	Views of Interstate 80 from the top of the Arch.
	Views of Interstate 80 from the top of the Arch.
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	The escalator up.
	Dale and a buffalo.
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	The Archway’s exterior is designed to resemble a Nebraska sunset. The stainless steel exterior was specifically treated using electricity charged acid to create the yellow, oranges, and reds to tie the exterior color to the region. A total of 10 exterior materials was used: Cor-Ten structural steel, stainless steel, aluminum, log siding, faux stone, Exterior Insulated Finish System, metal roofing, Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer roofing, glass, and copper.
The most complex segment of the project was the archway rollout. The final plan required a 10 hour transport of the Archway using rubber tired, self propelled modular transporters. The roll-out began by vertically jacking the Archway 22.5 feet with hydraulic jacks and resting the structure on temporary cribbing and a horizontal jacking beam. Once on the beam, the Archway was jacked horizontally, 42 inches at a time, onto the SPMTs. This jacking process took a total of eight days.

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	Dale fixed lunch.
	Views from Interstate 80.
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	Views from Interstate 80.
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