Rating:
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Mchargue Ditch Bridge

Jackson County, Indiana
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Photos 

Photo taken by J.P.

Map 

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts 

Overview
Pony truss bridge over Mchargue Ditch on CR 100 South
Location
Jackson County, Indiana
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built ca. 1920; rehabilitated 1997
Design
Riveted Warren pony truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 61.0 ft.
Total length: 64.9 ft.
Deck width: 17.4 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.86194, -86.13111   (decimal degrees)
38°51'43" N, 86°07'52" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/575385/4301815 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Medora
Inventory numbers
INNBI 3600132 (Indiana bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 16344 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 03/2011)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 51.4 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2011)
50

Categories 

Built during 1920s (7,033)
Functionally obsolete (7,040)
Indiana (3,348)
Jackson County, Indiana (44)
NR-eligible (3,749)
Non-Select (301)
Open (28,316)
Owned by county (16,489)
 Pony truss (13,217)
Skewed (4,080)
Span length 50-75 feet (6,996)
Total length 50-75 feet (6,897)
Truss (23,573)
Warren pony truss (1,987)
Warren truss (3,960)
Wooden deck (5,398)

Update Log 

  • December 20, 2011: New photos from J.P.
  • February 21, 2010: Updated by Anthony Dillon: added truss type

Sources 

  • J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
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Comments 

Mchargue Ditch Bridge
Posted April 18, 2012, by Nathan Holth (form3 [at] historicbridges [dot] org)

Other thieves have indeed stolen metal from abandoned bridges in recent years... I can think of two standing abandoned pony truss bridge examples right now. There also was a bowstring in storage that thieves took. They were caught in the act and the weight of the truss on their truck foiled their attempt to flee police.

Not sure I can recall any theft of in-service bridges though.

Obviously only the very dumbest and lowest forms of life on this planet would steal metal from a historic bridge for a few bucks of scrap. However taking metal off of a fracture critical type of bridge is beyond stupid since the bridge could collapse while the thieves are on the bridge attempting to steal the parts. Swift justice. Furthermore, if anyone attempting to use the bridge after the theft is killed by a collapse of the bridge then the thieves would likely face negligent manslaughter or something like that and do some hard prison time.

Mchargue Ditch Bridge
Posted April 18, 2012, by Will Truax (Bridgewright [at] ymail [dot] com)

I know the county well, (at least as well as you can get to know a place in a month) but still can't believe anyone would try to scrap an in service bridge.

Have any of you heard of anything of this sort happening to another bridge anywhere else?

http://www.whas11.com/news/Metal-theft-forces-Jackson-County-bridge-closure-147829115.html