Able Mitchell Bridge
Facts
- Overview
- Through truss bridge over Big Raccoon Creek on Mansfield Road northeast of Bridgeton
- Location
- Bridgeton, Parke County, Indiana
- Status
- Open to pedestrians only
- History
- Built 1892 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Co., bypassed 1991
- Builder
- - Wrought Iron Bridge Co. of Canton, Ohio
- Design
- Whipple through truss
- Dimensions
-
Span length: 175.0 ft.
Total length: 175.0 ft.
- Also called
- County Bridge #28
Bridgeton Iron Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +39.65180, -87.15829 (decimal degrees)
39°39'06" N, 87°09'30" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/486419/4389123 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Catlin
- Inventory number
- BH 36721 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- June 20, 2020: New photos from Mike Daffron
- September 8, 2019: New photos from Mike Daffron
- October 15, 2017: New photos from Mike Daffron
- June 17, 2017: New video from Mike Daffron
- May 31, 2017: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added category "Pin-connected"
- March 20, 2013: Updated by Brent Tindall: Updated street name
- March 8, 2010: New photos from James McCray
- March 5, 2010: Updated by Ed Hollowell: Changed from "Lost" to "Bypassed".
- March 5, 2010: Updated by Anthony Dillon: Added county bridge number and fixed GPS coordinates
- January 19, 2010: New photos from Anthony Dillon
- December 8, 2009: New photos from J.P.
- June 21, 2008: Added by J.R. Manning
Sources
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Tom Hall - thomas [dot] hall [at] ffni [dot] com
- J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
- Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
- Ed Hollowell - erhollowell [at] aol [dot] com
- James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Brent Tindall - bizzat219 [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Mike Daffron - daffmikron [at] gmail [dot] com
Comments
I visited this bridge last year and was deeply saddened by its poor condition as well. In addition to the deck, I noted some issues with the trusses themselves as well, in particular, severe loss of section in the eyebars at the lower chord connections. It is sad to see the metal truss bridges in this county left to rot while the covered bridges are all maintained in pristine condition. I included two photos from my photo gallery below.
The deck is in complete crap shape. I took a couple of steps, boards fell though. Step lightly!
This is a Whipple truss, despite the fact that the interpretive sign depicts a covered bridge.
Amy
This is a through truss bridge that requires the overhead bracing (struts, sway and lateral bracing) to help keep the trusses (sides of the bridge) in the proper alignment.
Shorter bridges (pony trusses) did not require the overhead supports that the longer spans did, although some used outriggers (see picture below) to help stabilize them.
By the 20th century, designers were making longer pony trusses that would have required the use of a through truss a few decades earlier.
What is the purpose of the iron at the top of this iron bridge in Bridgeton iron bridge in Parke Co.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/in/parke/bridgeton-iron/
The spoils of a steel Whipple truss...
Reminds me of the Bostick Road Bridge before it was restored.