Current National Register Status of Bridge: Eligible.
The bridge is a representative example of a common type and design. It was a state standard design used extensively for improvements to roads taken into the state highway system.
Setting/Context:
The bridge carries a two-lane gravel road over a stream in a forested mountain setting within the boundaries of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The loop road serves about 1/2 dozen trailer homes off of SR 2. The bridge is on a bypassed section of US 76/SR 2, the Canton-Hiawassee Road. The route was included in the original state highway system of 1919. The bridge was built as part of general improvements to the road including grading and surfacing with clay and gravel. The bridge was bypassed in favor of a straighter alignment ca. 1938.
Summary of Significance:
The skewed three-span reinforced concrete T-beam bridge (3 @ 22') has two-rail high concrete railings with paneled posts, paneled fascia, and two-stem concrete bent piers and spill thru abutments. The 1925 bridge is a standard state highway department T-beam design that was widely used on state highways in the 1920s. The bridge is one of fewer than 60 identified pre-1930 standard T-beam bridges. It has good integrity of design and is located on a bypassed section of state highway that was never improved with a hard-surfaced roadway. Because of its age, integrity, and historical association with early state highway improvements, the bridge is recommended eligible.