Rating:
4 votes

Thunder Bridge

Clay County, Iowa

Photos 

Side view

Photo taken by Jason Smith

BH Photo #101735

Map 

Street View 

Video 

Thunder Bridge

Kind of a Spencer landmark. It's a 'through truss bridge' built in 1905. Wonder how many times I have driven over this bridge. Lots. Remember trying to catch salamanders under it. Didn't catch anything. Also tried fishing here once but no luck. Found lots of empty beer cans.

Video posted by Steve Johnston

Play video on YouTube

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over Little Sioux River on 355th Street (Thunder Bridge Road) just off 4th Street in Spencer
Location
Spencer, Clay County, Iowa
Status
Open to one-lane traffic
History
Built 1905
Design
Pin-connected, 10-panel Pennsylvania through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 164.1 ft.
Total length: 180.5 ft.
Deck width: 13.5 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+43.14287, -95.17300   (decimal degrees)
43°08'34" N, 95°10'23" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/323290/4778972 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Spencer
Inventory numbers
IA 116880 (Iowa bridge number)
BH 13168 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

10-panel truss (157)
A-frame portal (418)
Built 1905 (792)
Built during 1900s (7,102)
Clay County, Iowa (37)
Have street view (26,484)
Iowa (6,375)
Lally columns (306)
Little Sioux River (57)
One-lane traffic (7,565)
Open (39,565)
 Owned by county (20,549)
Pennsylvania truss (479)
Pin-connected (3,853)
Span length 125-175 feet (4,192)
Spencer, Iowa (8)
Structurally deficient (14,676)
Sufficiency rating zero (233)
Through truss (14,839)
Total length 175-250 feet (4,223)
Truss (32,421)
Wooden deck (6,049)

Update Log 

  • June 6, 2019: Updated by Erik Hoffman: Added category "Lally columns"
  • January 30, 2017: New Street View added by Robert Elder
  • July 24, 2013: New video from Steve Johnston
  • October 11, 2012: Updated by Jason Smith: Added categories "Wooden deck", "A-frame portal"
  • August 31, 2011: New photos from Jason Smith
  • May 16, 2011: New photos from James Baughn
  • July 31, 2010: New Street View added by Jason Smith
  • October 10, 2005: Posted photos from Jason Smith

Sources 

  • Jason Smith - flensburg [dot] bridgehunter [dot] av [at] googlemail [dot] com
  • James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
  • Flickr - HDR
  • Steve Johnston
  • Robert Elder - robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com
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Comments 

Little Sioux River Bridge
Posted January 30, 2017, by JIm Fisher (abqding [at] gmail [dot] com)

Also known as "Thunder Bridge" per the Bob Howe preserve next to it. This bridge is the second south of Spencer on Main St that spanned the old Little Sioux. The first bridge on south Main St is listed here as the "Rusty Bridge" or Dump Road bridge. Both are still used today but the ghosts of Thunder bridge still lurks.

Little Sioux River Bridge
Posted January 30, 2017, by JIm Fisher (abqding [at] gmail [dot] com)

Also known as "Thunder Bridge" per the Bob Howe preserve next to it. This bridge is the second south of Spencer on Main St that spanned the old Little Sioux. The first bridge on south Main St is listed here as the "Rusty Bridge" or Dump Road bridge. Both are still used today but the ghosts of Thunder bridge still lurks.