Bridge was removed in 2004
Does anybody have any photos of the bridge
after rehabilitation?
I have Never seen the water that high. There is a raft company that does business right beside the bridge. Yep this is it, but, whew!
Thank you for show photo. Happy Brithday to Brooklyn Bridge on May 24, 2008. It is 125 year old. They already put many green light bulbs on bridge. Thank you.
Thank you for show photo. First Tacoma Narrows Bridge was open in 1940. Then four month later It was strong wind hit bridge. It was collasped. It was lost. Second Tacoma Narrows Bridge was open about 1950. Also add new bridge eastbroad was open sept. 2007. it is toll bridge cost 3 dallor per car. THANK YOU.
That's really cool...I'm somewhat technologically challenged, but I get what you're saying about that little device...I wouldn't think it would hold quite that much information....amazing !!! VERY COOL !!!
Thank you for show photo. it was closed for traffic. Some people are walk on the bridge. THANK YOU.
I am very much aggravated with this historic bridge as well as many others like it in Arkansas being closed down. Lets look at the whole picture here. This bridge was built by the county with taxpayers money. Why then are these old relics not being properly maintained? County after County constantly cry and boo-hoo about the condition of their bridges. When was the last time Benton County painted this bridge; put a new floor in this bridge; and pulled those dog-gone vines off the bridge that have been there for the last 3 years that I know of? Unfortunately by trying to preserve this bridge, the county can't get their kick backs and under the table dealings that the taxpayers will never know anything about. This comment also applies to Washington County as well. We need to preserve a part of the past to appreciate the future. TAXPAYERS- WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!
Need to make a correction on when this bridge was lost. It was washed away by the flood of May 1990. Have documented newspaper accounts to prove this. Still searching for photos of this historic relic. According to Charles Bowden a couple were once married on this bridge. Who was the couple and what year did they get married? What other interesting happenings occured on this bridge?
Searching for any old photos and stories pertaining to this bridge, originally known as the "BUTTRAM FORD BRIDGE". Named after Jacob Buttram, owner of the land where the bridge was later built and the founder of Sugar Grove Ar.
Searching for any old photos of this old bridge, originally known as the " FULLER FORD BRIDGE". Does anyone have a photo of Dr. Seaborn J. Fuller of whom the bridge was named after?
Searching for old photographs of this bridge. I am writing a historical account of this bridge. Any old stories about this bridge appreciated.
Collapsed by overweight truck in 1999. Replaced by 3 span plate girder (130ft+240ft+130ft=600 ft. total main spans) with prestressed concrete approach spans. Replacement Bridge designed by Maxwell T. Huff, P.E.; Built by T.L. Wallace, Inc.
The Joplin Globe reported on June 29, that the Powell Bridge has been saved from destruction. As soon as a new bridge can be built downstream, the old bridge will be converted into a pedestrian bridge.
Hello
The closing of this Bridge has made people go 15 miles one way, out of their way to get to Relatives and Friends. With the high cost of GAS, it is hard to drive so far to visit.
I hope that this issue can be resolved soon, and it is opened again.
Why is it that the County, State and Government has to make every thing a hardship on the POOR and ELDERLY.
Patsy
Uploading photo.
This bridge has been relocated to Barnes, Kansas and is located immediately south of K-9 Highway.
Uploading photos.
Bridge has been rehabilitated for use as part of a pedestrian trail.
Additional photos.
Pin connected Pratt pony truss.
There has been some discussion in the past of trying to acquire it and move it to a park. I don't really know the ownership status, but I would say right now all the attention is on Moscow. Actually, the last time I heard much said about Homer was about the time that Offutt's burned. It would be an easy one to move, but it has some lower chord issues and one panel that is pretty rotten.
The side of the bridge where the trusses are exposed is where there was a barn built and attached. The barn collapsed like last year. I don't know what the future holds for the bridge. It would be nice if it could be converted back into a covered bridge over water someday if only that could happen. The bridge probably still really belongs to somebody.
This bridge was actually totally destroyed by an overloaded truck. It had such elagant portals and huge historical significance and was such a tragedy to lose. Anyone who operates any type of vehicle for work or a living should know the weight and obey posted weight limits on bridges! For crying out loud the US 421 bridge was just a block away!
The bridge listed here as Bicycle bridge was actually known as Maxwell bridge.
Bicycle bridge was on the same road, but crossed the Wabash river west of Delphi.
This link shows the original Bicycle bridge.
Not to mention all of those derelict spans sitting out there in the weeds that have fallen off of the county or state inventories, sometimes as much as 50-75 years ago. I have had luck with comissioner's minutes from long ago, but it is a tedious and time consuming process. Unfortunately, in many instances these records have been lost.
Interesting. I have family in Danville, must remember to find this the next time I'm up there.
This is possibly the last picture taken of this bridge when it was still open to traffic. Apologies for the poor quality, it was getting dark when I took the picture. It was taken on June 13, 2006. The bridge was closed soon after this picture was taken, and was removed within a few months.
Also, this bridge was not located in Brent, but rather on the other side of Wildhorse Mountain, just south of the Sallisaw city limits.
http://www.ky3.com/news/local/22502469.html
did not mention on what road except it lead into a private campground.
Bridge was torn down roughly in Feb or March 2008.
I purchased a bridge plaque dated 1893, Groton Bridge & Mfg. Company. On the back is W.N. Johnson, Commissioner.
I believe it may have come from a bridge in Jefferson County, New York. There was a highway commissioner in that county and time frame.
I would like to know where this bridge is or might have been located. Any information, or where I could go from here to research it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Tom Nelson
Sometimes, with a little bit of digging, the correct data can be located. I've had marginal success contacting municipal officials who had historical records available - some are willing to help and others won't respond at all.
Historical societies often have data available, too. A historical society in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, has the history of the county available online, and with some careful searching, I was able to find information about a bridge over the Shioc River that the local officials knew nothing about - except that it was there.
Google is your friend.
The National Bridge Inventory data is not always very accurate, but for many bridges it's the only convenient source available. Many times the year built is merely a guess. On the Browse by Year page ( http://bridgehunter.com/category/year/ ), notice that there's a jump in the number of bridges listed under 1900, 1915, 1935, and other years ending in 0 or 5. Most of these are probably guesses, and are probably wrong by several years or decades.
However, for years NOT ending in 0 or 5, the data is usually pretty good. There are a few oddball cases, though, where the year actually refers to when the bridge was relocated or reconstructed, not when it was originally built. I've also seen weird cases, especially in Arkansas, where the year refers to when the bridge was added to the state highway system, but it may have been built by the county much earlier.
For truss bridges, a very general rule of thumb is that pin-connected designs were built before 1920, while bridges with lots of ornamentation were probably built prior to 1900. But there's always exceptions.
Incorrect dates in the NBI are no real surprise. I have added bridges to the site where historical records conflict with NBI build dates, usually by a couple of years. The NBI lists another bridge I recently added with a build date of 1935, but the WPA plaque identifies the bridge with a 1941 build date. (I tend to believe the NBI in that case.)
Last week, I posted a bridge that was built in 1905 and there is a photograph of the bridge taken in 1908. NBI lists the build date as 1940! Oh, well, what's 35 years here or there?
The more I look at this bridge the older I think it is. The whole structure, especially the verticals, are very light. It looks nothing like any other Smith bridges from the 1880's. I would not be surprised if this span is from the 1870's.
The date appears to be incorrect on this bridge. It is on concrete abutments, which would make post-1900. The lateral struts look similar to those on some Vincennes Bridge Company spans.
Finally, there are pics up of the Davis Ferry Bridge!
It is quite an amazing structure still stretching across the Wabash. It was fun to walk across when I visited. I've always wondered why this bridge and the Jewettsport Ford Bridge are still standing. Is it because they represent engineering work which nearby Purdue University is does alot with? The bridge may have been bypassed way back in the mid 70s according to something I read or heard. There is also a through truss railroad bridge very visible from the new bridge.
We went to visit these bridges (including this one) about 3 years ago. My sister had found them on this website and we made a weekend vacation out of them. We started on the Kliethermes Bridge and I was too scared to have us drive across so we walked it (I am glad we did since it is now gone). We drove across the next one even though I was reluctant, but by the time we got to this one, we were more than ready to drive across. We had a 2000 Ford F-250 Power Stroke truck at the time, but that didn't stop us. We started across and had to back off when another car was already coming across from the opposite side. We drove across and then turned around and came back. The whole time coming back, I was half-way out of the rolled-down window taking pictures of the gaps in the deck and of us in the truck on the bridge.
I remember going with my parents and brother to some old bridges when I was about 10. When we all got home from the weekend trip, I pulled out old photo albums and called my dad to see if he remembered where those old bridges were. He seemed to think that they were around the Lake of the Ozarks area, but thought they were torn down as that way why we all went way back then. I found the pictures from when I was a kid and it was the same bridge.
I was really amazed at the bridge and what a wonderful bunch of memories it provided (both times)!
Kinda looks like one of those old timey postcards. Pretty cool if you ask me.
Think of it more as looking at the world through rose colored glasses.
I used to fish under this bridge almost everyday during the summer in the late 70's and 80's. I have seen equipment and trucks go across this bridge that were 2 to 3 times the posted load was and that old bridge would just keep taking it.
As to the RR bridgs on the Red River, All of the ones built before 1960 were built to navigable. Even those as far south as Shreveport had not been opened in decades before the casino boats were floated into place.
J.R., what's up with the pink? Is there a problem with your camera?
For the record, this is one of the more unique through truss bridges I've ever seen - I'm not sure what design it's based on but it's unlike any of the through trussers I've come across.
Oh, in some of these pics, the old US 41 bridge over the White River is looming in the background; if anyone has some pics of the old US 41 bridge on tap, or hasn't gotten them uploaded yet, they should since it's a pretty beautiful bridge in its own right.
For the record, this is one of the more unique through truss bridges I've ever seen - I'm not sure what design it's based on but it's unlike any of the through trussers I've come across.
Oh, in some of these pics, the old US 41 bridge over the White River is looming in the background; if anyone has some pics of the old US 41 bridge on tap, or hasn't gotten them uploaded yet, they should since it's a pretty beautiful bridge in its own right.
I meant to say this earlier but kudos for putting up some pics of the Vallonia Bridge. It's not only one of Jackson County's more historical through truss bridges (a la Sparks Ferry & the Medora Bridge just downstream) but ranks right up there with the likes of the other through trussers in this part of the state.
Thank goodness we've got a pic of this bridge up; too bad it's like who knows how many other through trusses in Putnam County - this one's closed (I don't know if it's due to structural issues or what; if someone could let me know, awesome!!) but it's a sight to behold nonetheless.
It's more long than scary (about three miles), and it's a lot of fun to cross. This is an excellent photo, but it has to be seen in person.
J.R.:
You're right about that one as far as the Big Four bridge goes. I'm knocking myself out already just thinking about it.
I meant the CSX concrete-arch bridge located directly north of the Children's Home Road/Gearhart Road bridge (& BTW isn't hard to miss); if anyone hasn't been around to check the CSX concrete-arch bridge, they should; it's one of Sidney's most enduring (& most historical) landmarks.
It saddens me that one of Iowa's more historical through truss bridges had to be sacrificed to all the recent flooding; the Sutliff bridge from what I saw was one of the best through trusses around.
http://www.americanbridge.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=271&Itemid=122 includes a photo of the old bridge.
Your talking about the Bell's Ford Covered Bridge west of Seymour. The other half of the bridge collapsed a couple of years ago. Now all of the iron castings and any usable wood parts are in storage. Hopefully someday it will go back up where it belongs.
Wow! That's a beauty - and I'll bet it's a white knuckler to drive across!
Well, Chad, grab a camera and start shooting.
I thought the Big Four bridge was between Indiana and Kentucky?
Checking out the bridge, with rocks, gravel & other whatnot blocking each of the approaches, just to clarify: it's closed to traffic. Exactly how long it's been closed & why is beyond me but here's hoping that Putnam County steps up & sees to it that this bridge is preserved if they haven't done so already.
By the way, this is one of the more larger truss bridges I've ever seen - one of the more imposing in fact. But I'd sure like to see this one preserved in all of its glory & grandeur.
It seems like ages since I last posted about the Sparks Ferry bridge but hopefully it's being maintained & kept on the up & up so that it's safe for pedestrians to walk across or simply to check out.
The Sidney Bridge (or the Gearhart Road bridge) doesn't get the accolades or love which its next door neighbor, the CSX Big Four Bridge, receives in spades. If someone could get some pics of this puppy up, awesome.
And speaking of the CSX Big Four bridge, can we give this historical landmark its rightful due by getting some pics up? It'd be just as fantastic; not only that, but for those who care a whole lot about preserving historical bridges like these two I just mentioned, it would also mean a great deal about keeping landmarks of this magnitude around for years to come.
News photos are copyrighted and cannot be posted here without the permission of the news source - which is why news stories are linked and not reproduced.
It is possible to obtain permission to republish news photos, however, each photo requires the payment of a republication fee that is prohibitive to an all-volunteer, non-commercial site, like Bridge Hunters.
Are there any pictures of the bridge during the recent flooding? If so please post. Also, the bridge just north of the Medora bridge (Shieldstown ? ). It was partially washed away, but what happened to the other half? the location of this bridge is Seymore. Thanks
I'm interested in finding out the heights of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. (the highest point)
Thanks
Mr Baughn
This modern continuous truss replaced a much loved historical cantilever structure known until its demolition as the "Central Bridge". Cincinnati residents or those familiar with the old Central Bridge should look for pics to post. The Central Bridge paired with the old "Cynergy Field" aka "Riverfront Stadium" is shown in many photographs.
Cool bridge...nice pics too...I like the vines also !!
Looking South toward Newport KY.
This bridge is just upstream of Cumberland Falls
Some clarifications: This bridge is a lenticular pony truss bridge. Also, the plaque indicates it was built in 1890, not 1900 as listed.
This bridge should be designated a plain pony truss bridge, not lenticular. The lenticular pony truss bridge is the S. Presa one.
Several of these pictures show that the street was narrowed from three lanes to two during a downtown revitalization project in the 1980s.
Here are some pictures of this bridge.
Here are some pictures of this bridge.
According to the plaque, the bridge was built in 1891, not 1900 as in the information listed.
The daily traffic number seems high for this bridge. It is in a quiet residential neighborhood that does not see much traffic.
http://www.heath-lineback.com/html/hobuken.html
This bridge was removed in the late 1990's.
The url above has a picture of the old bridge and the replacement.
Attached are several images of the NY 386 Black Creek Bridge, ID# BH 26259.
The structure is now officially known as the "James E Weidner Memorial Bridge". It is dedicated to a serviceman killed in action in Vietnam ca 1967 and who grew up just a few hundred yards distant from this bridge.
Bob Melville
Chili, NY
It's open to traffic, providing the road isn't under water.
I recently moved to a home fairly near this bridge. It is still in service for vehicular traffic as of June, 2008. The way the streets run now, Renwick Road heads west from Joliet toward the river and terminates at River Road; turning South on River Road for a few hundred feet, Renwick Road resumes westward over the bridge, and then turns northwest before resuming its original westward course, more or less aligned with the portion of the road on the east side of the river.
An earlier commenter stated that they hoped this bridge would be preserved if it is ever replaced. My understanding is that the Village of Plainfield hopes or hoped to extend Renwick directly west, bypassing this bridge and installing a new bridge over the river. This bridge would remain in place as a pedestrian bridge. There was a proposed plan for this on the Village of Plainfield website approximately at the time I moved here (November 2007) but I can't seem to locate it now. In order to directly connect Renwick Road, though, a handful of homes in the path of the proposed connection would have to be acquired and demolished.
This bridge sits next SR 157. Is it still open or closed?
I cleaned your photo of the plaque up Tom, hope you don't mind. This is the best I was able to do. It's a little more legible.
Visited this bridge back in March 1998, here are a few pictures.
This bridge is gone, it was taken out in 1998-99 I believe. I visited the bridge in March '98 and took a few pictures. It was built in 1913 by the Capitol Construction Co. Columbus, OH.
This bridge replaced the "Million Dollar Bridge" which was also a bascule bridge.
i just visited the bridge the week of 8 june 2008, and learned that the bridge was upgraded structurally in 2007. i think you need to update your data regarding the structural condition of the bridge.
Here’s another bridge not listed.
It’s located in Parke County Indiana, near the town of Bridgeton on county road 20, or Greencastle road (according to Google maps)
Whipple Through Truss built by The Wrought Iron Bridge Company Of Canton Ohio.
175’ long and crosses Big Raccoon creek. Bypassed in 1991.
Guess I should have mentioned that this is located in Greene County Indiana.
Latitude: N 39 04.52
Longitude: W 86 51.31
Known as Richland Creek Viaduct or Tulip Trestle.
It was built in 1906 and is still in use by the Indiana Southern Railroad.
It is the third longest bridge of its type in the world. Its dimensions are one-half mile long, 2,307 feet to be precise, and it stands 157 feet off the ground at its tallest point.
The viaduct consists of seventeen 75-foot deck-plate girder spans, alternating with eighteen 40-foot girder tower spans. The viaduct also consists of two 50-foot spans at the west end and two 60-foot and two 45-foot spans at the east end. The weight of all that plus the weight of the track itself, is approximately 2,895 tons.
The cost of this massive project was about $246,504. A Chicago bridge engineer estimated that to build a bridge the same size today would cost around $10,000 per foot or $20 million.
To construct a bridge the size of the viaduct, a massive coordinated effort had to be organized. The first item that was needed was money. The viaduct was first owned by Indiana Southern Railroad, and Illinois Central Gulf, another railroad company, secretly financed it. Mainly immigrant Italian laborers constructed it.
The steel workers were paid 30 cents an hour and common laborers were paid only 15 cents an hour. Frank Hunt, who was a subcontractor, was reported to have hired 50 teams to work on the railroad. The teams were paid $3.50 per day and the drivers were paid $1.50 per day. This was considered to be above-average wages. However, men and horses were in such demand for this mammoth project that the supply of both became quite low.
Several companies did the rest of the work. The Collier Bridge Company did the concrete work, and the American Bridge Company made the steel frame which was later put together by Strobel Steel Construction Company. In charge of overall construction was Archibald Stuart Baldwin.
The Google map does have the road named wrong, also The Airtight bridge was added to the National Register of Historical places in 1981.
http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/IL/Coles/state.html
My son is one of a few men from New Castle Correctional Facility helping get the Bridge out of the water. Each night I talk with him he is so excited on the progress being made he says it can be rebuilt. He also says how wonderful the nice people of moscow are and how well they treat him. He wants to thank them very much for letting him have this chance to help save a part of History.
As his mother I thank you for your kindness, its very hard work but the rewards will be many.
Here are a few pictures of this bridge. Couldn't get any good shots due to high water and trees. The water was right to the bottom of the bridge, in fact the road to the north was completely under water. The photo of the plaque didn't turn out well, but you can barely make out the date.
Here are a couple of photos of this bridge.
Demolition on this bridge starts Monday, June 23rd, 2008.
From the Google map, looks like the name of the road is "Airfight", not Airtight. Just thought I'd mention it.
Here are some photos I took of the old bridge not long before it was gone, I think I took these in the late fall of 2001.
A picture from 2003.
Bridge damaged by 2 January 1997 runoff. Rebuilt by National Park Service effective 2007.
http://iwitness.stltoday.com/PHOTOS/STLT/1UserPhotos/281095E.jpg OverthetracksHamiltonILL
Robert, that is a beautiful bridge and a stunning photograph! If it weren't for the debris, it could be a post card view. Kudos on a great shot!
Will I be able to cross here on Tuesday June 24th? What about possible flooding of approaches on both sides?
Dear Mr Baughn
I took these pics while visiting my dear grandmother the summer of 2007.... I grew up fascinated by this and several other truss bridges down in southern Ohio/ Kentucky area. Them "concrete things" (UCEB's) have replaced quite a number of trusses I crossed as a kid. I say the Ironton-Russell bridge should be left up as a bicycle/pedestrian crossing. There is falcon nests in one of the bridge's towers (KY side) and by law they cannot be disturbed.
This bridge cost several people their lives in the flood of 1998 after they tried to cross it in cars and were washed into the creek. Funding and voting for a few years took place and it was finally replaced by a steel stringer in 2004.
Yes, those pictures were posted in error. I tried to delete them when I realized my error, but I was not able to remove them. I am glad to see the correct photos of this bridge.
That is an awesome picture! Nice job
I was born in Charleston Missouri, but have lived in Ohio since 1957. I was told as a child that my father worked on this bridge. I have certainly enjoy this information and it brings back many childhood memories. Thanks to all who are responsible for this historical information.
Sherry Selmon
New Matamoras, Ohio
I can at this time hear a barge going down the river. Maybe it will go as far as Cario, at least I like to imagine when I hear them go by. I live right on the Ohio River.