Recent Idaho Comments
Post a comment Contact webmasterThis bridge was lost in 1989. The plaque that is shown in one of the photos was recovered and was archived at the Owyhee County Museum in Murphy.
One of the more interesting bridges I found. I wonder what happened to the bridge's center span.....unless the current center span is original to the bridge?
Apparently, it's a bridge that carries the 26,000 foot penstock of the Grace power plant complex. So, yeah - it's an aquaduct.
It is a flume for a power plant located several miles south and west of the location. I think it's in the process of being decommissioned and the dam(s) removed to restore the river.
This does not appear to be a railroad bridge. I believe it is an aqueduct.
The old Goff Bridge was a steel through truss while the new bridge is tied arch. It’s not exactly a model for the new bridge, but the new arch bridge is defiantly a nicer structure than a pre-stressed girder bridge.
I was able to find a photo on ITD's Flickr site of the old bridge during the construction of the new.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itd_digitization/8117477248/in/set-72157631838875085
I may be wrong, but the narrow bridge that was at this crossing was used as a "model" for this present-day Goff Bridge. Do we have any pictures of the 'old' bridge that stood at this crossing?
My dads family lived on this island when there was just a boat and a railroad bridge. We wondered for years where this island was and what had happened with it. Unfortunately he sold the island when his mother died. They were a blended family of Smith's and Profits living there at that time. There should be a hold house with a well that was dug by my Grandmothers nephew so that they did not have to carry water to the house.
This is a part of our family history. And yes, we still talk about the island. I am glad to finally have the knowledge of where it is. Mystery solved.
Quite likely the 1992 date is the year this bridge was replaced...
Please update the status of The Fun Farm Bridge.
Thank you
Looks like I need to correct my previous comment about these triple-intersectionals being more common than quadruple intersectionals. I assumed they were more common based on the fact that they are dominant in Kansas. They appear to be extremely rare elsewhere, however.
As long as I can remember, the railroad bridge was the main bridge across the river. The Stevens Bridge was unsafe according to my grandparents who lived near the Idaho/Montana border at the time. I do not definitively know when the Stevens Bridge was torn down, but I do know that the "detour" was there in the early 90's
Its a deal!
I'll make you a deal Mike...
I'm still an infant when it comes to concrete arches and such... so if you'll help me with those I will hook you up with the trusses! ;-)
Thanks for the excellent information Tony. I was just amused at how fast you had come up with the name of the company.
Mike
I consider myself a "Details Junkie" and have compiled way too much stuff in my noggin through the years. Since plaques are more than often missing and county records buried under dust, I look for these little markers to help identify a builder.
From about 1885 to the early 1890's King used a style of portal bracing that I have dubbed the "X's and O's" style. Indiana has a couple of these and the Bridge Island span has very similar bracing. Certainly other builders have used circles in their bracing, but the largest one in this span seems to be a perfect match to the Indiana ones.
Some might not consider this a "slam dunk", but I feel pretty confident in calling this one a King.
*The big circle on the Indiana spans also have that flange but it is turned the other way.
Regarding Bridge maker ID. There are a few ways to determine "maker" of bridges. One, and the most telling is a Nameplate on the bridge. The King Iron Bridge Company was fairly good about putting a good solid nameplate on their bridges, usually on a vertical. While it is not shown in the photos attached to this listing, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Another would be county records, which are available at the county seat of the county where the bridge is located. Then there is the NBI, an older edition, when this was an open county road. I realize I haven't answered your specific question about this specific bridge, but I think the info is not that hard to find.
Tony,
I am not and never claimed to be a truss bridge expert, there are just too few in my part of the country. I have got to know, what is the unique feature that links this bridge to the King Bridge Company?
I appreciate the information on this bridge. It is rather difficult to determine just about anything on these private structures.
MG
How disappointing to hear this one is gone. I do hope the rest of your tour was more successful.
I made a big swing through Eastern Oregon last weekend and dipped into Idaho and SE Washington a little in my bridge hunting travels.
I drove through this location hoping to get a couple of photos of my own but arrived just in time to see the finished deck pour on the new bridge. The old truss has been replaced and there is now no sign now that it ever existed.
On a side note, the southbound bridge at this location has one of the worst riding decks I have ever driven. Large potholes, exposed rebar and tons of cold patching. I hope IDT is planning on reparing this structure as well.
Was this bridge replaced(gone) or just bypassed?
A nice looking and rather long bedstead truss.
The truss legs may have been removed during the renovation, or they might have been amputated in a past remodel. Often the legs have been encased in concrete to shore up the foundation. Unfortunately most people don't understand that the legs are actually part of the truss itself.
Fantastic find! Looks like it was originally a bedstead, although it appears its legs were cut so it now functions as a pony truss with vertical end posts.
Bridge was moved to the Gem Island Sports Complex in Emmett Idaho (Gem County). It is being used as a pedestrian Bridge at this time. Looking good.
They did a really gross pier replacement. The rollers from the swing are now hanging over nothing. The bridge looks great on the deck, but it looks a bit stupid in elevation view.
James,
I have a new theory. The lost Parker truss bridge was located several hundred feet to the west of this bridge, and was removed sometime between 1999 and 2004. The 1999 Google Earth ariel view shows the bridge crossing the river at Stevens Street, which was apparently ID 200 at the time. After the bridge was removed, the road was temporarily routed across this old railroad bridge, which was probably abandoned and rerouted across the current rail bridge, which can be seen in this street view (to the east). The road was routed across this bridge until the new UCEB was completed. I adjusted the GPS coordinates of the Parker truss on its page to reflect its actual location.
It appears that this span and the Smoky Hill River Bridge in Kansas share very similar portal features and possibly even the same builder.
Interesting discussion on the differing Triple and Quadruple Lattice trusses. My knowledge of them here in Indiana is somewhat limited. We do have an abandoned dual-track Quadruple in Pulaski County:
http://bridgehunter.com/in/pulaski/bh42462/
But I am much more familiar with the Fredricksburg Bridge:
http://bridgehunter.com/in/washington/8800075/
This may be the only surviving example of a non-railway built Triple-intersection Lattice. After being closed for many years on a county road, this bridge is scheduled to be moved to a park for trail use. It's survival and restoration will be a nice complement to the only Triple-intersection Pratt known to survive:
Thanks for the clarification, Robert. As it turns out, I have seen the bridges that your links reference, but I've not noticed that they were triple-intersection Warrens--I think that I just saw the lattice configuration and assumed quadrangular, since those are most common in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Somehow, this bridge really stands out (maybe the silver paint!), and perhaps that's how I noticed it.
Matthew:
Interesting comment. The Quadrangular Lattice trusses seem to be dominant in the upper Midwest, but the Triple-Intersection Lattice trusses are the most common form of Lattice truss in other areas.
In Kansas, where the triple-intersectional trusses dominate, most of them appear to have been used by the Union Pacific Railroad, which also appears to have used this Idaho example.
The main variation I see with Triple-Intersectional Lattice trusses in Kansas is the portal bracing. Arched lattice bracing with Town Lacing is found on at least two Lattice truss bridges:
http://bridgehunter.com/ks/cloud/pegram/
http://bridgehunter.com/ks/mcpherson/bh36247/
Other Triple-Intersectional Lattice trusses feature a less decorative bracing with V-lacing:
Ah this bridge. I always seemed to be passing through with daylight fading or the dead of night on the way to Missoula. Would have liked to stop and photograph one of those days.
Wow! This bridge is incredible! I have seen plenty of double-intersection and quadrangular (quadruple intersection) Warren trusses, but this is the first triple-intersection Warren that I have ever seen! It is great to see that this beautiful structure was preserved and converted for trail use for the general public to enjoy!
Looking at the construction of the current bridge is certainly indicative of the fact that this was indeed a railroad bridge at one time. The main trusses are very tall, very narrow, and extremely heavily built, which would be perfectly suitable for train traffic. Also, the approaches are heavy deck plate girder spans, which are used almost exclusively for railroads. If I were a betting man, I would place my money on this being the old RR, and the old road bridge being lost to the ugly UCEB.
I had at one time this bridge posted with pictures as Clark River Railroad Bridge. Local history is a bit sketchy but the gist is that the current pedestrian bridge was a railroad bridge that they turned into a temporary road bridge while they built the new UCEB. There are tentative plans to connect a cross state Idaho trail using as a part.
This is a bit confusing. The website (http://bridgehunter.com/id/bonner/30125/) has the old bridge as torn down, but it is shown as a Parker Truss. However this bridge (which is obviously the old Johnson Road bridge that is now turned into a pedestrian bridge) still exists next to the new Johnson road bridge, but it is a Pratt truss as seen on the street view and Google Earth. Can someone explain this? There must have been two parallel truss bridges or something.
IDK if I would say perfectly intact... viewing historical imagery on Google Earth it appears this structure has shifted in the last few years. Look at the approach in images from 04 and fast forward to 09... the bridge now has an interesting kink in it. Appears to have been moved, possibly by high water or the ravages of time.
Judging by Google's satellite and street views, this rail line seems to be long-since abandoned, but a magnificent bridge appears perfectly intact at this location. I can only assume it is this one, though I can't distinctly make out its truss details in the shadows. Bing has no bird's eye view of this area (yet).
Does anyone have a contact name and/or number of someone who works at UP or BNSF regarding questions about the bridge or a contact name or # for the contractor who repaired the bridge last year?
Photo taken March 29, 2009 facing SE
Photos taken March 28, 2009
Photo taken March 28, 2009
Snowy day on March 29th 2009
It has to be a vehicular/road bridge, as it has an inspection date and vehicle per-day count in the statistics. Railroad bridges are not inspected by county and state road inspectors.
Is this a train bridge that goes over the Black Prince Creek as it goes into the St.Joe river? Or is this a people and auto bridge? I am trying to find an aerial view photo of the old train bridge over the Black Prince Creek as it flows into the river. Not far from there is a very very old abandoned saw mill high up overlooking the river. Does anyone know the original name of this sawmill?
Dear Sir
I am a Bridge Consulting Engineer in Australia and am presently writing a book on "Lock Up Devices in Structural Engineering". I am interested in knowing how two lock up (LUD)Devices fitted on each abutment of the Goff Bridge are performing. Please contact by email or phone 61 3 62240105.
Many Thanks.
Dinesh Patel
Here is a picture I took of this bridge in December 2000 and some interesting information I found on Wikipedia. The picture of the jumper came from the wikipedia article.
Wikipedia article:
The I. B. Perrine Bridge at Twin Falls, Idaho is a four-lane span carrying U.S. Highway 93 over the Snake River Canyon. The bridge serves as the Twin Falls area's main link to Jerome County and Interstate 84.
Originally named the Twin Falls-Jerome Intercounty Bridge, Perrine Bridge is approximately 1,500 feet (457 m) long and 486 feet (148 m) above the Snake River. The original bridge was opened to traffic in September 1927 and at the time was the highest bridge in the world. The bridge was originally a toll bridge, but the tolls proved unpopular and were eliminated in 1940.
By the early 1970s the original bridge was outdated and unable to handle heavy loads and required replacement. Construction on the current bridge was completed in 1974.
Perrine Bridge is the only man-made structure in the United States where BASE jumping is allowed year-round without a permit. As such it is a popular destination for BASE jumping enthusiasts, who often refer to it as Potato Bridge.
Adjacent to the south end of the bridge is a parking area with a visitors' center, which allows for easy access to the bridge. To the east, along the south rim of the canyon, lies the dirt ramp used by Evel Knievel when he unsuccessfully attempted to jump the canyon on his motorcycle in 1974.
The bridge is named for I. B. Perrine, who spearheaded the early 20th Century irrigation projects in Idaho's Magic Valley region. Perrine is largely credited as the main founder of Twin Falls.
Official name I.B. Perrine Bridge
Carries 4 lanes of US-93
Crosses Snake River
Locale Twin Falls, Idaho
Total length 1,500 feet (457 m)
Clearance below 486 feet (148 m)
Opening date 1974
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