Current National Register Status of Bridge: Eligible
Local, Determined Eligible, or NR Historic District/Status: 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 county road over a stream in a forested mountain setting. The bridge is located north of the village of Lakemont. Southwest of the bridge is a ca. 1940 one-story factory complex. The bridge is on a bypassed section of old US 23/SR 15. The route was included in the original state highway system of 1919, and was improved to a graded, broken-stone surfaced road in 1926. As part of the 1926 upgrade, seven T beam bridges and three concrete arch bridges were constructed. The arch bridges (241-5024-0, 241-5025-0, & 241-5026-0) were rated eligible by the 1981 survey. The route was surfaced with asphalt in the late 1930s. The scenic highway retains much of its historic character from Tallulah Falls to Tiger. The highway was bypassed in ca. 1965.
Summary of Significance:
The skewed, four-span T beam bridge (4 @ 30') has concrete balustrades with paneled posts, paneled fascia, two-stem concrete bent piers, and three-stem concrete spill thru abutments. The bridge is a standard state highway department design bridge from the 1920s. The bridge is 1 of 2 T-beam bridges (the other is 241-5027-0) evaluated as part of first-generation state highway improvements to old SR 15/US 23. They are among the fewer than 60 identified pre-1930 T-beam bridges. Both are distinguished because of their age, integrity, and historical association with a well-preserved section of a bypassed state highway that features bridges in an unspoiled mountain setting.