Ely Street Bridge - Built 1891
Two identical Pratt through trusses extend across Big Creek in the village of Bertram in southern Linn County.
Photo by Iowa DOT
BH Photo #130569
Description: These two identical Pratt through trusses extend across Big Creek in the village of Bertram in southern Linn County. A bridge plate indicates that it was built by J.E. Jayne and Son of Iowa City, Iowa, in 1891. Minutes of a meeting of the Linn County Board of Supervisors in January 1892 reported that the 224-foot Bertram Bridge, with iron tube piers and two 20-foot approaches, had cost an aggregate sum of $2,927. The Pratt through truss style was utilized on many bridges build in Linn County in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Since its construction, the Ely Street Bridge has carried sparse traffic and currently maintains a high degree of both structural and historically integrity.
It's official: Contract has been let to Taylor Consruction for $938,000 to build a new structure in its place. The agreement was signed in June. I suspect construction will begin later this fall. More later.
JS
There is no saving it, they are putting in something different. It was pretty torn up as you can see in the pictures. PCI is a big contractor in Iowa. It's very hard to convince them in Iowa when the engineering companies are all about making bolted ugly replacements. Hopefully they will save the other one.
updates on bridge replacement on Ely Street and the future of the remains of the old one. I'm hopeful that they can save it somehow. Minutes of town meeting 12/02/215.
Update:
http://thegazette.com/subject/news/bertram-works-to-replace-...
Question: has the old bridge been scrapped? If not, what would it cost to fix?
Regards,
Art S.
Update on the Ely Street Bridge and its unknown future. Suggestions on what to do with the bridge more than welcomed, for the people in Bertram and Cedar Rapids will need them. http://thebridgehunter.areavoices.com/2014/07/04/ely-street-...
Here is an article from about a year ago:
http://thegazette.com/2013/07/06/not-all-eastern-iowa-commun...
Seems like the town was perfectly content keeping their old bridges and didn't want to pitch in to help the state 'upgrade' them. I wish there was a way to save the bridge and encourage this way of thinking.
Washed away. If someone (not me) moves quickly, maybe the bridge can be recovered and repaired.
http://thegazette.com/subject/news/one-of-two-historic-bertr...
This is a beauty from a firm I had not heard of before now. Definitely one of the more unique plaques you will ever see!
Sad final chapter to what was a beautiful structure from a lesser known builder. Mother Nature is the one thing that we have little control over...
Except in cases like this:
http://bridgehunter.com/mi/saginaw/ditch-road/