A national poll from car dealers has named the Bibb Graves Bridge in Wetumpka as the 31st most iconic bridge in the country.
The list includes the Admiral Clarey Bridge in Hawaii, the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Mackinac Bridge and the Chicago Skyway Bridge.
The bridge is first on the list in Alabama with Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge second in the state.
Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce director Shellie Whitfield believes the bridge is more than its five arches spanning the Coosa River.
“I think the bridge is iconically Wetumpka,” Whitfield said. “I think the bridge represents everything we feel about this community — the history, the connectivity, the river, the churches. The bridge represents everything that matters in Wetumpka.”
Some tour buses have to go around it and look back to the center of town from the Coosa River Parkway, but there is no wrong direction to cross it.
“Everyone comes to see downtown and thinks it is cute,”Whitfield said. “They also want to see the farmer’s market, the old houses and the Presbyterian Church.”
The bridge was constructed in 1927 and was the fourth bridge at the site since 1834. The first bridge was washed away in 1844. Horace King designed and supervised construction of the second bridge. It was washed away in 1886. An iron bridge was then built in 1887 but deterioration led to the construction of the current bridge. It is 140 feet long.
Whitfield believes more locals should take advantage of the bridge. There are no bad views of it. Kayakers can paddle under it. Pedestrians can walk under it and take in the views from Gold Star Park. But Whitfield has her favorite spot and it’s not necessarily from the Big Fish House.
“When you stand on the patio of The Kelly with that sunset and river, it is an amazing view,” Whitfield said. “Some people go their entire lives and never see something like that. We get to look at it every single day.”
