Photos 

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Overview

This bridge has seen better days. [The color photos on this page were taken by Wayne Kizziar on Aug. 25, 2001]
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Center pier

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Missing approach

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Portal view

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Underneath

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HAER photo: deck view

This photo from the Historic American Engineering Record shows the condition of the deck in 1988 [HAER photos taken July 1988 by Louise T. Taft]
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HAER photo: three bridges

In the foreground is the Old River Bridge, in the background are two railroad bridges, only one of which remains today.
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Photo taken by Fredrick Garcia

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Photo taken by Fredrick Garcia

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Photo taken by Fredrick Garcia

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Photo taken by Fredrick Garcia

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Photo taken by Fredrick Garcia

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On The Bridge

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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South Portal

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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Looking West

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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Close Up Of North Span

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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Underneath

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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Overview

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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Oblique Looking South

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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View From Adjacent Railroad Bridge

Photo taken by Wayne Kizziar

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Photo taken by J Lance

Map 

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts 

Overview
Two-span through truss bridge over Saline River on the Old Military Road near Benton
Location
Saline County, Arkansas
Status
Abandoned with portions of deck missing
History
Built 1899 by the Youngstown Bridge Co. of Youngstown, Ohio; closed to traffic in 1974
Builder
- Youngstown Bridge Co. of Youngstown, Ohio
Design
Two pin-connected, 6-panel Pratt through trusses with a wooden deck
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 130.0 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+34.53918, -92.61242   (decimal degrees)
34°32'21" N, 92°36'45" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/535564/3822009 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Benton
Inventory numbers
NRHP 77000277 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 10559 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Update Log 

  • May 17, 2008: New photos from Wayne Kizziar

Sources 

  • Wayne Kizziar - wayne1701 [at] cableone [dot] net
  • HAER AR-46 - Old River Bridge
  • Fredrick Garcia - fandsgarcia [at] gmail [dot] com
  • J Lance - bugo [at] hotmail [dot] com

Comments 

Old River Bridge
Posted February 24, 2007, by Fred Garcia (fandsgarcia [at] gmail [dot] com)

Visited this bridge 29 October 2006 about 5:30 pm. Not able to get on bridge itself, but there is a RR bridge about 100 yds. downstream that I crossed to the other side for additional pictures. It's a little weedy around the north approach and some of the trestle is still in place which is another good spot to take photos of the deck.

Webmaster's note: The photos that were here have been incorporated into the main site.

Old River Bridge
Posted December 1, 2005, by Robert W. Scoggin (robert [dot] scoggin [at] arkansashighways [dot] com)

This bridge was used in the movie Slingblade, another Billy Bob Thornton movie.