the bridge crosses the missouri river, connecting yankton, south dakota to the north with cedar county, nebraska to the south. prior to the construction of the bridge, traffic moved between these two points via a ferry service, started in 1870, and a seasonal pontoon bridge, first installed in 1890. the pontoon bridge was disassembled and rebuilt twice a year, once to float on open water, and once to be placed on solid ice. after a 1915 initiative to build a permanent bridge faltered with the u.s. entrance into world war i, a new effort was started by the yankton chamber of commerce 1919. though fundraising problems caused a temporary halt in 1922, the new bridge, featuring a movable span to allow for river navigation, was completed during the summer of 1924.