There’s a bridge on Route 66 in Carthage, Mo., that’s called the “Whee Bridge” or “Tickle Tummy Hill” because a hump in its apex causes an unsettling sensation as you drive over it. It’s simply a quirk in the original design, and it’s surprising how many locals are fond of it.
But according to the Carthage Press, the bridge may have to be renovated. As a result, the design quirk — and “whee” part — would be largely gone.
Carthage Public Works Director Chad Wampler showed members of the city council’s public works committee new plans for a bridge that meets a requirement by the railroad that the height from the ground to the bottom of the bridge be raised from just over 19 feet like it is now to 23 feet.
Wampler showed a design drawing to the committee that lacks the distinctive hump that has been a trademark of the old bridge for the past 90 years.
“They want a new dimension of 23 feet above the rails and they want a rectangle above the rails that has to remain undisturbed,” Wampler said. “This design keeps the current grade, but it will totally take out the whippity-do.” […]
The city had instructed engineers not to alter the distinctive hump in the bridge if they could avoid it, but Wampler said the 23-foot height requirement makes that almost impossible without an awkwardly steep grade in the bridge.
Wampler cautioned that the new designs for the bridge are not final, and that work on it may be years away. Maybe the city will eventually persuade the railroad to accept a design to keep that distinctive hump.