Bearskin River Bridge

Photos 

Map 

Description 

This bridge was a riveted Warren pony truss bridge with verticals. It was of a design that was used on the vast majority of river crossings in St. Louis County, and could still be found in wide supply up to twenty years ago. Now, there are only a handful left in the county, and it is just a matter of time before they are wiped off the face of the earth like all the others. This particular bridge appeared to be in decent shape, with no major rust buildup anywhere, and with no damage to any members. There was a small modification, consisting of the replacement of rivets at one connection with bolts. The approaches were not any bridge type, but just long concrete abutments. Interestingly enough, the abutments were wider than the bridge's main span, and the railings bumped out to follow this width on either side of the main span. No V-lacing or lattice was present on the bridge; its built-up members consisted of angle members and battens. Battens were also used under the upper chord and on the lower chord. Underneath, the stringers were rigidly attached to the sides of the floor beams rather than rest on top of them. The deck was cast-in-place concrete, and the approaches were overlaid with asphalt. The original railings were double angles, the standard for county roads at the time in St. Louis County.

Categories 

Built 1919 (550) Built during 1910s (9,968) Lost (28,430) Lost 2011 (515) Lost during 2010s (3,599) Minnesota (1,649) One-lane traffic (7,833) Owned by county (21,606) Pony truss (17,008)

Replaced by new bridge (19,335) Span length 50-75 feet (10,420) St. Louis County, Minnesota (142) Structurally deficient (12,886) Total length 100-125 feet (5,372) Truss (35,420) Warren pony truss (3,556) Warren truss (7,000)

Update Log 

• January 30, 2012: Updated by Matt Lohry: Updated: This bridge is gone.
• June 28, 2010: Updated by Matthew Lohry: Updated bridge type and added photos

Sources 

• Matt Lohry

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