News
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Missouri already has two bridges named after former senator Christopher "Kit" Bond, but that's not enough to satisfy the Missouri General Assembly, which now wants all future bridges to be named for him.
"We're not satisfied with just the new bridges at
Hermann and Kansas City named for Kit Bond, we want everything," explained a spokesperson for the Missouri Republican Party.
Next week, the Missouri Department of Transportation will cut the ribbon on a new 23 foot culvert in Audrain County, to be dubbed the Kit Bond Commemorative Culvert. That will soon be followed by a new UCEB built in St. Louis County, to be officially called the Christopher S. Bond Viaduct Sponsored by Anheuser-Busch.
The plan has drawn fire, however, especially from Missouri Democrats. "First they want to name everything after Ronald Reagan, and now this. Sheesh," wrote a left-leaning blogger from St. Louis.
Lirpa Sloof, a popular Missouri radio host, said on the air yesterday, "Has anybody seen the new bridge at Hermann? It's butt ugly! Instead of being an honor for Kit Bond, the name of the bridge is the ultimate insult toward him. What a joke."
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James Baughn
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
When we last saw the Eggner's Ferry Bridge, a large cargo ship was stuck next to the bridge with the wreckage of an annihiliated truss span draped across the bow.
Since then, the wreckage was cleared away, the ship was repaired and sent underway, and now the state has let an ambitious $7 million contract to replace the missing span by Memorial Day.
Naturally, local residents are thrilled about the repair contract. This is much better than the alternative, a ferry crossing, which probably wouldn't be in operation before Memorial Day anyway -- and would be a bottleneck on a good day.
Details about the replacement span are sketchy, but it appears that it will be some kind of truss span (a Bailey-like design perhaps?). The local newspaper reports:
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet outlined the structure that will replace the bridge span in its bid request. The section will be a railing system at least as strong as the existing bridge, with comporting dimensions. The deck will be 20 feet wide, made of asphalt or concrete. The trusses will be painted to match the color of the adjacent spans.
This will certainly be an interesting sight, at least until the entire structure is replaced by a new four-lane bridge in a few years.
In other related news:
- The name of the Eggner's Ferry Bridge has become the subject of debate -- maybe it's Eggners Ferry, maybe it's Eggner Ferry, or maybe it's even Egner Ferry.
- Just down the road from Eggner's Ferry, a similar truss bridge over Lake Barkley was briefly closed following a barge strike. The bridge is fine, but I can only imagine the sickening "Oh crap not again!" feeling experienced by locals.
- The doomed Ledbetter Bridge near Paducah, Kentucky, now has a 35-mph speed limit to go with the 3-ton weight limit. Weigh-in-motion sensors have been installed to enforce the weight limit.
- The Mississippi River Bridge at Cairo, Illinois, has finally reopened to traffic following a more than year long closure. Unlike Kentucky, Illinois decided to shut down the bridge to all traffic in response to truckers ignoring the 15-ton weight limit -- even though funding for the repair work wouldn't be available for most of a year. Thankfully Kentucky is slightly more clueful in how to handle these situations.
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James Baughn
Monday, February 13, 2012
Without further ado -- or procrastinating -- here are the winners of this year's TRUSS Awards for the top bridges that are endangered and worthy of preservation. In no particular order:
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James Baughn
Sunday, February 5, 2012
I've spent the last week sorting through nominations for the TRUSS Awards (Top Ranked Unique Savable Structures). It's been tough: there's
so many bridges that are endangered, and so many bridges that would be viable candidates for rehabilitation or adaptive reuse.
Some of last year's winners were re-nominated again this year. These are all important projects, but I decided to exclude them from winning again in order to make room for other bridges. Meanwhile, most of last year's honorable mentions are now facing an even greater threat of demolition, so I did consider them.
I had originally planned to pick 12 winners, but after changing and re-arranging the list several times, I decided to expand this to 15. And even that's not really enough.
Here are the bridges that didn't make the cut. These honorable mentions are still worthwhile bridges that should be saved:
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James Baughn
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The previous 12 months have not been good for major bridges in Kentucky:
- Last January, the Mississippi River Bridge at Cairo, Illinois, was closed to traffic after truck drivers ignored an emergency reduction in the weight limit (the bridge doesn't quite touch Kentucky, but is an important route for traffic between Kentucky and Missouri). The bridge is undergoing repairs but remains closed at this time.
- In September, the Shermin Minton Bridge at Louisville was unexpectedly closed after failing an inspection. It, too, is undergoing repairs but is still closed.
- Earlier this month, the Ledbetter Bridge (Clark Memorial Bridge) near Paducah had its weight limit reduced to only 3 tons. Law enforcement officers are now patrolling the bridge almost non-stop to prevent truck drivers from crossing. The alternative is to shut down the bridge to all traffic, just like at Cairo. (What I can't figure out is why Illinois and Kentucky won't install "headache bars" on the approaches to these bridges to prevent tall vehicles from crossing, which would effectively keep away overweight trucks at almost no cost or effort.)
- And now, of course, the Eggner's Ferry Bridge at Kentucky Lake was shut down in spectacular fashion on Jan. 26 as a large cargo ship slammed into one of the spans.
I visited Eggner's Ferry Bridge today, approaching from the western side at Kenlake State Resort Park. The park offers ample parking and several overlooks of the lake and bridge.
It's quite a spectacle:
The ship went under the wrong span (the second truss from the east). This span is not as high as the main channel span (second from the west). In the collision between the ship and the bridge, the ship easily won, crumpling the 322-feet Parker truss like a wad of paper.
With the ship anchored in place, the wreckage of the truss is now draped on the vessel's bow.
Bridge inspectors have tentatively declared that the western spans are stable, with commercial boat traffic allowed to resume passing under the main channel span. However, the eastern span (a smaller Pratt truss) has been labeled as "possibly unstable", with evidence suggesting that the pier has shifted -- or perhaps continues to shift. It also appears, at least through a telephoto lens, that cracks have formed in the concrete.
Pre-construction work is already underway on the bridge's replacement (a "basket-handle arch" design), but construction wasn't expected to finish until 2016 or 2017. I'm sure that schedule will be accelerated, but a major construction project can only proceed so quickly.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hasn't ruled out trying to repair the existing structure, but it's going to be tough. First, the 322 ft. gap will need to be filled by a temporary span (perhaps some kind of Bailey truss). That's a lot of distance to cross. It's also likely that at least one pier and the smaller truss span on the east side will need to be replaced or shored up. If feasible, I'd say that repairing the bridge is worth the effort, but I suspect a certain number of local drivers will be terrified to cross the repaired bridge and would rather take a lengthy detour.
Unfortunately, some of the media coverage seems to be clinging to the usual narrative that this "aging" bridge suffered a "collapse." This wasn't a collapse at all: it was a collision caused by an errant ship. The bridge was built in 1932, but it was not considered structurally deficient according to an inspection in Aug. 2010. A large ship veering off course by almost 1,000 feet would be enough to tear apart even a brand new bridge. Indeed, a simple truss bridge, where each span is largely independent of the others, is one of the better designs to handle this kind of collision. Sadly, this incident will likely provide yet another excuse to replace historic bridges with mundane replacements that are shiny and new -- but never 100% accident-proof.
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
I think I've tracked down the source of the sporadic problems with photo uploads. A couple people had trouble uploading photos for their TRUSS Awards nominations, so I've extended the deadline for nominations until Jan. 31. Like last year, the sheer number of entries will make it hard to choose the winners.
In other news, the Federal Highway Administration has released the 2011 edition of the National Bridge Inventory.
They've made two versions available: the old fixed-width ASCII format and a new comma-delimited format. The old format can be processed using
my OVERPASS program. I haven't tackled trying to read the new format. Unfortunately, it appears
that the wrong ZIP file containing all of the states was uploaded (it's the new format even though it's labeled as the old format). I had to
download all of the states separately.
I've uploaded the new inspection data throughout the website. The next challenge is tracking down those bridges that appeared in the 2010
edition, but disappeared in the 2011 edition -- this means they were probably demolished.
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James Baughn
Sunday, January 1, 2012
With the arrival of the new year, Bridgehunter.com is now accepting nominations for the 2012 TRUSS Awards (
Top Ranked Unique Savable Structures). This award honors bridges that are threatened with demolition, but would make the most excellent preservation projects. To nominate a bridge, go to the page for that bridge and click the yellow "Nominate" button near the top. You can also nominate an unlisted bridge
by going to this page. Nominations will be accepted for three weeks through Jan. 22, 2012.
I have good news and bad news about last year's TRUSS Award winners. From what I can tell, none of the bridges were demolished. But none of them were saved, either, and all remain in limbo. Here's the list with the current status of each:
- Beatty Road Bridge (Morrow County, Ohio) - Closed after failing inspection in August
- Independence Bowstring (Verdigris River) Bridge - Abandoned
- Long Shoals Bridge (Bourbon County, Kansas) - Abandoned
- McMillin Bridge (Pierce County, Washington) - Open
- Mead Avenue Bridge (Crawford County, Pennsylvania) - Closed
- Meramec River US 66 Bridge (St. Louis County, Missouri) - Closed
- Mitchell River Bridge (Barnstable County, Massachusetts) - Open
- Nachitoch Bluff Bridge (Clark County, Arkansas) - Abandoned
- Panther Creek Bridge (Miami County, Ohio) - Open on a private driveway
- Riverside Bridge (Christian County, Missouri) - Closed
- Springfield Bridge (Faulkner County, Arkansas) - Abandoned
- Wagon Wheel Bridge (Boone County, Iowa) - Closed
Sadly, a large number of other bridges were lost in 2011. Our list of bridges demolished last year totals 145, and that list is certainly far from complete.
The year brought a shocking number of natural disasters to the United States. Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee were bad news for covered bridges as flooding unleashed by these storms destroyed Blenheim Bridge (New York), Bartonsville Covered Bridge (Vermont), Seigrist's Mill Covered Bridge (Pennsylvania), and many others.
Spring flooding caused extensive problems on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, at one point forcing the Army Corps of Engineers to intentionally breach a levee in Missouri, causing one bridge to be wiped out in dramatic fashion. Flooding also caused the partial collapse of the Ninth Street Seven Arch Stone Bridge in Illinois; the bridge was later demolished.
Fryer Ford Bridge in Arkansas succumbed to a different kind of disaster: a careless truck driver disobeying the posted weight limit.
As we've been dreading for some time, 2011 was the final year for several notable bridges, including:
Last year also brought surprise demolitions that were unnecessary:
On the bright side, 2011 brought some success stories, even in Pennsylvania and Missouri.
- Mill Mountain Road Bridge (Luzerne County, Pennsylvania) - The Times Leader newspaper explains it best: "Some Luzerne County employees saved taxpayers more than a million dollars by redoing a historic bridge on their own, rather than hiring outside companies to design and build a new one."
- Pine Creek Bridge (Lycoming County, Pennsylvania) - This spectacular Warren Lenticular truss was dismantled in 2008, repaired, and finally reassembled in 2011
- Lake Taneycomo Bridge (Taney County, Missouri) - Located at downtown Branson, Missouri, this arch bridge was twinned by a parallel span and then rehabilitated to carry one-way traffic
- Rock Island Bridge (Pulaski County, Arkansas) - After a long wait, this former railroad bridge opened to pedestrians this year as part of the Clinton Presidential Library grounds
- Chambers Covered Railroad Bridge (Lane County, Oregon) - At one time in immediate danger of collapse, this covered bridge was rebuilt at a new location for pedestrians
- Glover Cary Bridge (Daviess County, Kentucky) - Owensboro celebrated the rehabilitation and reopening of its Ohio River bridge with a special day allowing people to walk across the bridge
- West Bureau Creek Bridge (Bureau County, Illinois) - In the most surprising story of the year, Illinois replaced a UCEB with a historic through truss bridge relocated from elsewhere
Here's to hoping that we will see more success stories in 2012.
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James Baughn
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
I hope everybody is enjoying the holidays! During my Christmas vacation, I've been spending some quality time adding new features to the website.
Photo license tracking
To help prevent copyright violations and to keep the lawyers at bay, I've added a field to the database to keep track of the copyright license (if any) attached to each photo.
For photos that you've taken, you can decide what license to offer them under. This could be a standard "All rights reserved" position in which you grant permission for visitors to see your photos, but that's about it. You can also choose "Public domain" (renouncing your copyright and allowing anybody to use the photo in any way) or one of the "Creative Commons" licenses (which give various levels of permission for re-using the photo). If in doubt, just use the default "All rights reserved."
For photos that you've obtained from elsewhere, you must specify how they were obtained. If you have permission from the photographer/copyright holder, select "Have permission." If you found the photo on Flickr, Wikipedia, or another website with a Creative Commons license, then choose the applicable C.C. license version -- but be sure to follow their rules carefully, especially about providing attribution. For photos that are out of copyright or were produced by a Federal agency or program (such as HABS/HAER), then you can select "public domain." In some limited cases, you may be able to use a photo under "fair use", but first make sure you understand what that means before using this exception.
This isn't as bad as it sounds. When uploading or importing photos, you can choose the license for each photo from a drop-down menu. To make things easier, you can select the license (and credit line) for the first photo, and apply that to all of the other photos by clicking the little red arrows on the right. For photos that you've taken, it's safe to keep "All rights reserved" and not worry about this.
Expanded design types
I've always been puzzled why the various kinds of Pratt trusses (Parker, Camelback, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Whipple, etc.) have their own distinctive names, but Warren trusses are just called Warren trusses regardless of variation. To better keep track of Warren truss bridges, especially the more exotic designs, I've expanded the list of available design types:
- Warren through truss
- Warren through truss with no verticals
- Warren through truss with all verticals
- Warren through truss with alternating verticals
- Warren through truss with sub-panels
- Polygonal Warren through truss
- Polygonal Warren through truss with no verticals
- Polygonal Warren through truss with all verticals
- Polygonal Warren through truss with alternating verticals
- Polygonal Warren through truss with sub-panels
- Lattice through truss
- Triple-intersection lattice through truss
- Quadrangular lattice through truss
- Quintangular lattice through truss
- Town lattice through truss
(I've added similar subtypes for pony and deck trusses as appropriate.)
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By J.R. Manning
Thursday, December 15, 2011
On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge, that crossed the Ohio River between Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio, collapsed during afternoon rush hour, killing 46 people. The eyebar suspension bridge opened in 1928. A similar bridge, upriver in St. Mary's, was immediately closed and demolished in 1971.
As a result of the tragedy, the NBIS was initiated, mandating that all bridges in the United States, longer than 20 feet, be inspected every two years.
Adding to the mystique of the region is "The Mothman Prophesies." Legend has it that the mysterious Mothman foretold the collapse. The Mothman Prophecies is a 1975 book by John Keel that was the basis of a 2002 movie of the same name.
For more about the collapse, see the listing for the Silver Bridge.
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James Baughn
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
With the arrival of ugly winter weather, I've had time for more website improvements:
New tool for adding categories
I've added a new admin feature for adding/removing categories associated with a bridge. Look for the yellow "Categories" button on each bridge page, or click the appropriate button to jump to it after adding or editing a bridge.
You can add categories either by dragging-and-dropping (or double-clicking) suggested categories in red, or by typing in a category name in the box. The system provides auto-completion, so you don't have to guess the proper spelling and capitalization for the category name. If you try to add a category that hasn't been created yet, the system will give you a warning so that you don't inadvertantly create a duplicate category.
To remove a category, drag-and-drop (or double-click) one of the green boxes. Changes take effect immediately (you don't have to save changes), although you have the option of adding a note to the Update Log using the box at the bottom of the page.
Review county boundaries
When adding or editing a bridge, there's now an option to "Show county lines" on the Google map. The bridge's selected county will be highlighted in red, while adjacent counties will appear in blue. This gives you the chance to double-check whether the bridge is placed in the right county, or to see whether the bridge crosses a county or state line.
Rotate photos
If a photo is uploaded sideways, it's now possible to correct the problem by clicking the yellow "Edit this photo" link next to the photo and then using the "Rotate left" and "Rotate right" buttons.
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By Jason Smith
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The results are out! The Bridgehunter's Chronicles has announced the winners of the Ammann Awards for 2011, the first awards devoted to historic bridges and ways to preserve them. In addition, the Chronicles also has the most striking pics for 2011. All the information and pics are found via link here:
http://thebridgehunter.areavoices.com/2011/12/02/ammann-award-results-for-2011/
The author would like to thank the photo candidates and those who voted for the best photos. The bridge candidates should take pride in the job well done in preserving bridges. As for the steel thieves......
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James Baughn
Monday, November 14, 2011
Here are some improvements I've made lately:
- Related bridges: I've added a section to each bridge page for showing "related" bridges. For example, if one bridge replaced another one, that relationship can be shown, with links from one to the other. Look for the "Add related bridge" admin links to create these relationships.
- Search engine: Keyword searches will now look for the entire phrase, instead of just matching any of the words. If you prefer the old method, you can go to the Search page and check the "Match any word" box.
- Facts and figures: The new Website Statistics shows a quick summary of the bridges
that are posted to the site, broken down by status and design.
- Random county: In addition to the Random Bridge link, you can try out the Random County link to explore another part of the country.
- To-do list: The To-do pages has been expanded to include more bridges that need attention, including those bridges that have had a sudden jump in their sufficiency rating, which usually means they've been replaced by UCEBs.
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By Jason Smith
Monday, November 14, 2011
November is National Historic Bridges Month. And for the first time ever, the Bridgehunter’s Chronicles will be awarding the Othmar H. Ammann Award for Excellence to three candidates for their roles in historic bridge preservation and bridge engineering. It will consist of three categories: The Lifetime Legacy Award to the person who has had an enormous impact over the course of many years, the Best Kept Secret Award to the person or group with the best example of historic bridge preservation, and the Best Snapshot Award to the candidate with the best photo of a bridge in general. Entries are being taken between now and 25 November, with the winners announced on 2 December. The winners will be interviewed by the Bridgehunter’s Chronicles (which will be posted) and receive a Certificate of Excellence Award. If you know of a candidate who has made an impact on the historic bridges community, please send his/her name via e-mail to Jason Smith (JDSmith77@gmx.net) before 25 November at 12:00am Central Standard Time. It is open to all candidates in the US and internationally. Minus the photo entries which you can do yourself, nominating yourself for the other two awards is prohibited; photos of the candidates must be of one’s own work and not that of another’s.
The Award is named after the Swiss-American engineer who designed and led the construction of over a dozen bridges in New York City as well as many others in eastern US and his home country of Switzerland. Among those included are the George Washington Bridge (1939) and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge (1964), both located in New York City. The latter was the last of his engineering work (as he died eight months after it was open to traffic) and was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1981 and still is the longest in the USA today.
Pics for 2011: Also a first this year is the Bridgehunter’s Chronicles’ Pics of the Year. It will be divided up into the following examples- Best example of historic bridge reuse, worst example of historic bridge reuse, the best effort to saving the bridge, the salvageable mentioned, the worst reason to destroy a bridge, the best find of a historic bridge and the biggest bonehead story. You have until the 25th of November at 12:00am Central Standard Time to submit your candidate(s) to Jason Smith (JDSmith77@gmx.net), who will announce the winner and the honorably mentioned on 2 December.
The Bridgehunter's Chronicles will provide some stories about historic bridge preservation during the months of November and December, which will be posted here. Stay tuned.
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James Baughn
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I've been rather distracted lately, mostly
because of this. With that out of the way, I'm planning on making some upgrades to the site.
Some items on the drawing board include:
- Mobile-optimized version
- Improved search engine
- Better tool for uploading multiple photos at a time
- Method to attach PDFs and other documents to bridge pages and essays
- Way to tag photos
- Form for submitting news items
- Expanded forum system
Anything else? What upgrades do you feel are the most important?
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Monday, October 10, 2011
Last week brought the
sensational news that thieves
successfully stole an entire 50 foot long steel bridge in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania.
Sadly, this wasn't a freak incident. This week, scrap metal thieves have reportedly struck bridges in Mississippi, removing the support pilings from multiple bridges in Chickasaw County. This is a more ominous development, as any of these damaged bridges could collapse under the weight of the next unsuspecting driver that comes along.
Hopefully this outbreak of bridge thefts will stop once the idiots with the cutting torches realize that scrap steel prices aren't that lucrative.
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James Baughn
Sunday, October 2, 2011
It's depressing to think about all of the significant bridges that have been demolished, or soon will be demolished, thanks to a seeming lack of interest by public officials and local residents toward preservation.
And yet people do like and admire bridges. Take Owensboro, Kentucky, where an estimated 10,000 people enjoyed the opportunity to walk or bike across the "Blue Bridge" over the Ohio River on Friday. Repair work on the bridge, which had closed it to all traffic during the summer, was a few days ahead of schedule, allowing the Kentucky highway department the opportunity to throw open the bridge to pedestrians and bicyclists for a one-day only "Bridge Day."
Despite the impromptu nature of the event -- it was only announced on the Monday before -- massive crowds descended on the bridge. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk across the bridge without dodging cars, making it possible to study this huge cantilever bridge built in 1940.
Actually, it may not be a one-time event after all. The turnout was so overwhelming that the mayor of Owensboro is already discussing turning "Bridge Day" into an annual festival. "I think we've really stumbled onto something here," the mayor said in a newspaper article.
And why not? Owensboro should be able to celebrate the city's success at saving its bridge. So many other cantilever bridges have been demolished to make room for replacement cable-stayed or steel beam bridges. Owensboro does have a modern cable-stayed bridge, but it was built at a location far enough upstream that the Blue Bridge could be retained for local traffic heading to downtown. That was a smart move: the city gets a modern bypass, while the historic bridge can still provide useful service.
I doubt that the turnout would have been so awesome for a UCEB. I hope that other cities and states are paying attention to the pattern established at Owensboro: build a bypass if you must, but keep the historic bridge around to serve as a true "signature" span for the community, one that everybody can enjoy. If you preserve it, they will come.
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James Baughn
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
It all started innocently enough. On Sept. 7, the Indiana Department of Transportation
announced lane closures on the Sherman Minton Bridge for bridge inspections.
Little did anybody know that this brief lane closure would herald the indefinite closure of the entire bridge two days later. The Sherman Minton Bridge carries 93,000 vehicles per day on average, or roughly 40% of the total traffic crossing the Ohio River at Louisville. The sudden loss of this bridge has forced commuters to rely on the Kennedy and Clark bridges, creating a "Carmageddon" situation to rival anything out of Los Angeles.
A technical advisory from the Federal Highway Administration explains what happened. The bridge, completed 1961, was built with "T-1 steel" which is susceptible to cracking. Previous inspections had found cracking at some of the welds, prompting more thorough inspections and repair work this year.
The advisory states, "On September 8, 2011, inspectors discovered an additional critical crack in the tension tie that previously could not be seen through visual inspection because of the removal of a connection plate detail as part of the ongoing retrofit process... After study and analysis of this newly found crack, it was determined that an unacceptable level of risk to the traveling public was associated with the continued operation of the bridge."
By the next day, the Governor of Indiana had ordered the bridge closed. Since then, even more cracks have been discovered -- and the inspectors are only half done.
It seems likely that the bridge will remain out of commission for months, even years, and there's a chance it could never reopen.
Meanwhile, drivers stuck in traffic couldn't help but notice that some cars were traveling across the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge, a railroad bridge that includes two roadway decks along the sides. These cars were driven by railroad employees who were granted the perk of using the bridge to get to work.
Historically, the K&I carried highway traffic until the northbound road deck was damaged by an overweight truck in 1979. This damage was never repaired.
If railroad employees could use the bridge, then why not the general public? That's been a hot topic of discussion, spawning a Facebook campaign to have the bridge's road decks repaired and reopened to everybody. At least one local politicians is asking the same question.
The owners of the bridge, Norfolk Southern, are naturally worried about liability and safety. But if the bridge is unsafe, then why let employees use it? Hoping to avoid a PR disaster, the railroad has now announced that it will no longer let employees use the bridge.
In 2005, civic leaders discussed using the K&I Bridge as part of a bicycle/pedestrian trail network, but this idea was vehemently opposed by the railroad.
The K&I Bridge is similar to the Harahan Bridge in Memphis with abandoned road decks along the sides. It was recently discovered, however, that Memphis still owned the road decks. Plans are underway to reopen the Harahan Bridge for pedestrian use -- and the railroad can't stop it. That probably isn't an option for Louisville and the K&I Bridge, unless a sharp lawyer can find an old document showing that the public has a right to use the bridge.
Does the city have any other options? Louisville is working on restoring the Big Four Railroad Bridge for pedestrian/bicycle use, but that project won't be completed until 2013. The only other available bridge, the Falls of the Ohio Railroad Bridge, still actively carries trains. It does have some extra room (one of the two tracks is abandoned), but not enough for any practical use.
Thus, it seems that Louisville is in a real pickle.
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By Jason Smith
Friday, September 16, 2011
There are historic bridges that have been marketed through the state department of transportation's historic bridge marketing programs, like the ones in Pennsylvania and Indiana, and there are those that were sold directly from one party to another at the price of scrap metal. But what about auctioning off a historic bridge? This small town in Germany is definitely experimenting with this option as a pedestrian bridge spanning a railroad is the target of the German Railroad's plans of expanding and electrifying the rail line, and the town's mayor wants to get rid of the bridge for money. Here's an article by the Bridgehunter's Chronicles with some details on the town's plan to auction it off on eBay:
http://thebridgehunter.areavoices.com/2011/09/16/100-year-old-railroad-bridge-in-vogtland-up-for-auction/
While houses can be auctioned off, auctioning off a whole bridge is an experiment which if successful will provide state DOTs and other local governments an incentive to rid a historic bridge by auctioning it off to someone who will take care of the structure as well as they did. Question is how successful is it to auction a bridge, and what would you use the bridge for if you won the highest bid? Any thoughts from the historic bridge community?
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By Jason Smith
Monday, September 5, 2011
Well, another Historic Bridge Conference has come and gone, and for those who missed out on the highlights of the event, here is a link to the article that was written by the Bridgehunter's Chronicles giving you a brief summary of all the events that happened during the weekend of 12-14 August, where all the bridge enthusiasts and experts congregated on the state of Missouri and did a innerstate tour which started in St. Louis, went south to Springfield and ended in Kansas City.
http://thebridgehunter.areavoices.com/2011/09/01/the-3rd-annual-historic-bridge-conference-missouri/
As for the 2012 Conference is concerned, there is some consideration between having it in Iowa or in Indiana as the plan is to have the event in one of the two states in 2012 and the other in 2013. If you have any preferences, you can let James Baughn, Jason Smith or Todd Wilson of Bridgemapper.com know and they will all be taken into consideration, when the decision is made sometime next year.
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Friday, July 22, 2011
Bridgehunter.com,
Bridgemapper.com, and
The Bridgehunter's Chronicles are partnering to sponsor this year's Historic Bridge Conference. The
2009 and 2010 conferences explored the bridges of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania, while this year's event will feature bridges in St. Louis and Missouri.
St. Louis has a long history of bridge building, starting with the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River, a National Historic Landmark. In modern times, St. Louis has been an unsung leader in historic bridge preservation, rehabilitating three major bridges (Eads, McKinley, and Old Chain of Rocks).
However, many other bridges are threatened with demolition or replacement. The Meramec River Bridge on Historic Route 66 has been closed to traffic and is in danger of demolition. In the southwest corner of Missouri, the Riverside Bridge at Ozark, Missouri, has also been threatened. The Historic Bridge Conference includes events at both of these endangered bridges.
Click here for more information
Click here for a flyer
Friday maps and driving directions
Saturday maps and driving directions
If you'd like to participate in all or part of the conference, please contact webmaster James Baughn (email: webmaster [at-symbol] bridgehunter.com)
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Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Riverside Bridge near Ozark, Missouri, was selected as one of Missouri's Most Endangered Historic Places for 2010. The bridge is still in danger and
has now been selected for the same list for 2011. (The Route 66 Bridge at Times Beach was also carried over to this year's list.)
Meanwhile, Kris Dyer has entered the Riverside Bridge in the This Place Matters Community Challenge from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The historic site that receives the most votes will win a very nice grant. Right now the Riverside Bridge is ranked 43 out of 100. To vote for the bridge, please follow this link. You can only vote once and the deadline is June 30.
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By J.R. Manning
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Found this on That Will Buff Out and thought you might also get a smile from it.
see more That Will Buff Out
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Friday, April 1, 2011
In a stunning development, it has been revealed that Federal economic stimulus money is
being used to rehabilitate the Meridian Bridge at Yankton, South Dakota. The Feds are chipping in $4 million to convert the bridge for pedestrian use.
Yes, it's hard to believe. I thought this was an April Fools Day gag, but it's apparently true. Based on this development, I would strongly recommend bracing for an outbreak of flying pigs. If this trend continues, we could witness the core temperature of Hell dropping below freezing.
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Thursday, January 13, 2011
Here are a few announcements to clear off my desk:
- Eagle Days at Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, Missouri, is this weekend (Jan. 15-16).
This is a popular event where people can walk out to the middle of the bridge and look for bald eagles through viewing scopes.
- Vern Mesler has announced the Second Annual Iron & Steel Preservation Conference,
March 7-9, 2010, at Lansing Community College, in Lansing, Michigan. Sounds like a lot of fun.
- Eric Sakowski is offering a tour this August of the bridges of China, including 8 bridges that are taller than the Royal Gorge Bridge.
This looks pretty intense.
- Jason Smith is soliciting contributions (articles and columns) about historic bridges for
his Bridgehunter's Chronicles site.
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Friday, January 7, 2011
Now's a good time to take a break from worrying about Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridges and enjoy something different. As part of a clever marketing gimmick, Union Pacific will be taking
one of their steam locomotives on an excursion
following a route selected by voters.
Right now the "Tuscola Turn" route around Chicago is in first place, but I'm rather partial to the "Little Rock Express" which will likely feature a crossing of the Mississippi River on the Thebes Bridge. In 2004, the UP "Challenger" steam locomotive came to Thebes, and it was quite a sight.
It looks like all four possible routes would feature photo opps of the locomotive crossing historic bridges. So be
sure to vote early and vote often for your favorite route (hint: Little Rock Express).
Update Jan. 16: With just two days left, the voting is neck-and-neck between the "Little Rock Express" and "Tuscola Turn" routes.
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By James Baughn
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Let's face it: Last year was a bad one for historic bridges. Thanks to stimulus funding, many bridges were demolished
to make room for shiny new UCEBs. These "shovel ready" projects could just as easily have been called "bulldozer ready." Meanwhile,
floods and other disasters wiped out numerous bridges in Tennessee, Iowa, and elsewhere.
Nevertheless, 2010 didn't bring all bad news, as some historic bridges were rehabilitated and (gasp!) given new paint jobs. Even
everybody's favorite highway department, PennDOT, notched a couple of successful historic bridge projects -- and we're not talking about
covered bridges!
Here is a rundown of successful projects completed in 2010. (Sorry if I missed any obvious examples.)
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By J.R. Manning
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
On December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge between Kanauga, Ohio and Point Pleasant, West Virginia collapsed into the Ohio River. The collapse occurred during afternoon rush hour without any warning, the bridge simply failed. 46 people perished in the disaster.
It was a significant event in bridge history, because a result of the collapse was the creation of the National Bridge Inspection Standard, mandating that all bridges longer than 20 feet be inspected every two years.
An essay about the bridge, the collapse, appears on the Silver Memorial Bridge, opened exactly two years later, on this date in 1969.
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James Baughn
Sunday, December 5, 2010
It's time to announce the Top Twelve recipients of the first-ever TRUSS Awards (Top Ranked Unique Savable Structures). These bridges are just the tip of the iceberg for historic bridges worthy of saving. Even though I received a large number of nominations, plenty of bridges weren't nominated at all, but that doesn't mean they aren't important (I'll discuss some of these in a future story).
Enough stalling, I'm opening the envelope now...
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James Baughn
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
First, the good news. When I
asked for nominations for the bridges most
worthy of preservation, I didn't expect to have an inbox overflowing with entries. But I did. There was even a small letter writing
campaign in support of one bridge in particular.
That leads me, however, to the bad news. There's simply far too many historic bridges across the U.S. threatened
by demolition or neglect. Despite our best efforts, the vast majority will be gone before we know it. This kind of list shouldn't be necessary, but here we are.
From the nominations, I tried to pick out the best of the best. It wasn't easy, as good cases could be made for all of the nominees.
In the end, I settled on the Top Twelve bridges, a nice round number, for the inaugural TRUSS Award -- or Top Ranked Unique Savable Structures. (This sounds better than the old name.)
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Friday, November 26, 2010
Here we are at Black Friday, or Crass Commercialism Appreciation Day. In that spirit, Bridgehunter.com is pleased to announce
new features for buying and selling historic bridge photos on this website.
Sellers
If you have an Editor's Account, you can now add a link to each photo for ordering prints, buying cheesy merchandise, or selling licenses. Just upload your photos to a storefront such as Imagekind, Cafepress, Lulu, etc., and then copy-and-paste the link to the order page for each photo. To make it easier for people to find your photos, you can tag up to 100 photos as a "favorite" and it will appear on your profile page.
The options for adding links and favorites are available on the Add Photos and Manage Photos screens.
Of course, uploading photos to other websites is a pain. We now have an extra option to make all (or most) of your photos available for
purchase all at once. Here's an example. Your photos will have a "Request this photo" button to make it easy for customers to contact you about requesting a print or license. Then you can upload the high-resolution version of the photo to a site like Imagekind and let the customer order from there. I'm still beta-testing this feature, so if you're interested, let me know so I can set you up.
Buyers
If you're looking for original artwork for Christmas gifts (or for yourself), then keep your eyes peeled for the "Order this photo"
or "Request this photo" buttons throughout the website.
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Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I've added some new features to make Bridgehunter.com more
buzzword compliant:
1. Each bridge page now includes an AJAX-powered rating widget to leverage the power of crowdsourcing. The idea is to give each bridge a rating of 0-5 stars based on your opinion of the bridge's overall historic significance. After enough votes are tabulated, the most important bridges will rise to the top, while UCEBs will drop to the bottom where they belong.
To cast your vote, just hover your mouse over the widget to choose the appropriate 0-5 rating (partial stars are allowed). After you click, you should see a note that says "Vote cast!" If you change your mind, you can click again to update your vote.
2. Each bridge page also supports social bookmarking with links to share the page on Facebook, Twitter, etc.
3. The tables on the site, including the County Guide pages and NBI listings, are now sortable through the magic of Web 2.0 technology. Just click one of the headers to sort everything in the column below.
Now that the site has been upgraded with all of these pointless buzzwords, when can I expect to receive my $1.5 million in venture capital funding that other buzzword-enhanced websites have been getting?
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James Baughn
Sunday, November 7, 2010
November is
Historic Bridge Awareness Month. To mark this event, Bridgehunter.com is putting together a list of Top Bridges That Can Be Saved (TBTCBS). In a similar fashion to the
Most Endangered Historic Places lists produced by
state and national historic preservation organizations, the Can Be Saved List will highlight those bridges that
are threatened (either by demolition or neglect) but have a realistic chance of being saved if enough people show their support.
This list isn't just for bridges that are slated for replacement by UCEBs. Some historic bridges have been "saved" at some point
in the past, but are now abandoned, crumbling, and will eventually be lost anyway if nothing is done.
If you know of a bridge that is threatened but is worthy of saving, then please nominate the bridge for possible inclusion in the list.
You can go to the listing page for the bridge and click the new "Nominate this bridge" link at the top. Or, if the bridge doesn't
have a listing already, then you can go to the nomination form directly.
The final list will be announced in a few weeks, so don't procrastinate in nominating your favorite bridge or bridges.
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
- Raymond Klein forwarded a link to a book from 1891 entitled
"Report of the Board of railroad commissioners of the state of New York on strains on railroad bridges of the state." Despite the dry title,
the book is quite fascinating, featuring simple drawings of the iron and steel railroad truss bridges in New York State. Glancing through
the book, I spotted examples of the elusive Whipple deck truss design.
- Illinois now has a website on the historic bridges in the state.
- Ohio has posted a revised version (from Sept. 27, 2010) of its
historic bridge inventory.
- This page on the Federal Highway Administration website describes various
kinds of bridge rails. Unfortunately, it appears that many of the safest designs are also among the ugliest designs.
- I haven't had a chance to download and convert any of the massive files, but this website
offers scanned images of 1890s-era maps from the Mississippi River Commission.
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By J.R. Manning
Saturday, October 16, 2010
October 16 was the 31st Annual Bridge Day event at the New River Gorge Bridge, near Fayetteville, West Virginia. The New River Gorge Bridge was the longest steel arch bridge in the world when it was built, and was long a target of BASE jumpers, Rappellers and bungee jumpers. Once a year, authorities close down US 19 to allow enthusiasts to jump off the bridge to the New River, 876 feet below the surface of the bridge.
(BASE is an acronym for the enthusiasts of the extreme sport, who jump from a building, antenna, span or earth.)
The first BASE jump from the NRGB was made (illegally) in 1979 by Burton Ervin. The attraction to use the bridge, illegally, for BASE and bungee jumping gave Glenn Lukacs of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce the idea to create Bridge Day. On November 8, 1980, the first legal BASE jumps were made from the NRGB.
Bridge Day has been held every year since, with the exception of 2001. Due to severe injuries to a bungee jumper in 1993, that type of jump is no longer allowed.
Today was Bridge Day, with over 400 extreme athletes there to BASE jump along with 20 Rappellers. Thousands of spectators were there to watch and enjoy the festivities.
For more about this year's Bridge Day, see Gorgeous Day for a Free Fall on the website of the Beckley Register-Herald.
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Saturday, October 16, 2010
I've noticed a surge in traffic during the last week as contestants in the Marlboro "Outwit the West" contest have been searching for the answers to Question #9. The question requires matching
four photos of bridges with the name of the river that they cross.
The quiz is rather sneaky. Here are some hints:
Photo A. Based on the number of hits I've received from people Googling for the Rob Roy Bridge over the Arkansas River, it appears many people are going to get this one wrong. It's not Rob Roy.
Photo B. This is a ferry, not a bridge. Ha!
Photo C. The Alabama state flag is obviously just a distraction. Look closely at the tower on the left. Other than the Golden Gate Bridge, what is the most famous suspension bridge in the West? (Although I would argue the bridge's "fame" is overrated.)
Photo D. Ignore the fish-eye lens effect and consider how grand this canyon looks.
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Monday, October 11, 2010
- The problems from last week with the Google Street View widget appear to have been fixed.
- I've had some inquiries about how to submit photos to be included in the redesigned masthead at the top of the front page. There's two requirements: the photo needs to be cropped into a very wide format (760 pixels wide by 135 pixels tall), and there needs to be room to fit the "BRIDGEHUNTER.COM" name in one of the corners. You can upload photos using the Feedback form. Note: LandmarkHunter.com will get the same treatment as soon I can round up enough masthead photos.
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James Baughn
Saturday, September 18, 2010
This will be a sporadic feature highlighting a group of bridges that
are being demolished at an alarming rate.
The Missouri Department of Transportation is fond of saying that Missouri has more major river
bridges (53) than any other state. Unfortunately, an appalling number of these bridges, especially over the Missouri River,
have been demolished and replaced by mundane versions in recent years. Just in the last few years, Missouri has demolished highway bridges
at Lexington,
Waverly,
Miami,
Glasgow,
and Hermann.
Looking through the list of Missouri River bridges paints
a bleak picture for these important crossings. Within the next few years, four major historic truss bridges will likely be gone: Daniel
Boone, Washington, Amelia Earhart, and Rulo. Once these bridges are lost, only two pre-1940 highway truss bridges will remain over the Missouri River
in Missouri (Fairfax, 1935, and Brownville, 1938).
Railroad bridges are faring better, with several pre-1940 truss bridges still carrying rail traffic. The oldest of these
is the Bellefontaine Bridge (1893) near St. Louis, a Baltimore truss built by George S. Morison. The Wabash Bridge at St. Charles
(1936 cantilever), Glasgow Railroad Bridge (1900 Parker trusses), Sibley Railroad Bridge (1915 Pennsylvania truss),
ASB Bridge (1911 telescoping vertical lift), Atchison Railroad Bridge (1900 swing), and St. Joseph Railroad Bridge
(1906 swing) are all historic gems. However, as railroad bridges, they are difficult to photograph and study without trespassing,
and their future is subject to the needs of the railroad companies.
Indeed, the increasing weight of locomotives has led to the demise of all of the 19th Century Whipple trusses that once spanned
the river. The last, the Chouteau Bridge (1887) at Kansas City, was allowed to continue standing only because it was converted
to highway traffic in the 1950s. However, this led to its eventual demolition when a new UCEB was built in 2001.
To add insult to injury, the state is now spending $2.8 million to add bike lanes to the replacement bridge,
money that would have been better spent toward preserving the old bridge in the first place as a pedestrian-friendly crossing.
At this point, only one Missouri River bridge has been preserved in Missouri -- maybe.
The Boonville Railroad Bridge (1930) has been spared from demolition thanks to a last-minute
miracle. With a vertical-lift span, however, it's going to be difficult to rehabilitate the bridge and keep the Coast Guard satisfied.
By comparison, states upriver have had moderate success preserving their bridges. Three historic Missouri River bridges in Montana have been, or soon will be, converted
for pedestrian use. The Fort Benton Bridge, featuring a combination of truss spans with the oldest dating to 1888, appears to be the oldest
bridge remaining over the river. It was refurbished for pedestrians in the 1980s. In South Dakota, the peculiar side-by-side trusses of the Chamberlain Bridge
are undergoing rehabilitation to continue carrying local traffic. Work is also underway to convert the double-decker vertical-lift Meridian Bridge at Yankton into a pedestrian crossing.
The successes seen in Montana and South Dakota make Missouri's lack of bridge preservation even more frustrating. MoDOT had talked about
keeping the northbound Daniel Boone Bridge (1932) for a bicycle lane, but suddenly scrapped that idea earlier this year. There has also
been discussion about preserving the cantilever bridge at Washington for local traffic, but that seems unlikely now. Both bridges,
providing connections to the popular Katy Trail, would make excellent targets for preservation and conversion to pedestrian/bicycle usage.
The Washington Bridge is featured on tourism billboads for the city; it makes a wonderful "signature span" that no UCEB could ever match.
With funding for the replacement bridges still uncertain at Daniel Boone and Washington, there is still time to rally for saving
the old bridges. Let's hope at least one Missouri River highway bridge can be saved in Missouri.
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By Michael Horne
Monday, September 13, 2010
The latest example of the adage that rust never sleeps would seem to be the Downtown Clybourn Street Bridge, which closed in July 2010 and isn’t expected to reopen until June 2011.
Photo by Michael Horne
Drivers’ demand for speed (and safety) prompts road salt to be spread even after mild snow flurries, but often with expensive consequences. According to a March story in Milwaukee Magazine (“The High and Mighty”), the corroding effects of road salt helped force the current rebuilding of Interstate 94. Simply put, salt makes the metal rust faster.
Was road salt a factor in the Clybourn bridge’s closing?
“Oh, yes. That’s the reason we shut it down,” says Cecilia Gilbert, communications manager for the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works.
The department’s press release announcing the reconstruction was more circumspect, merely citing “the harsh river environment and continued deterioration of steel decking and support components” and not explicitly identifying road salt.
The bridge, built in 1968 immediately south of the I-94 span over the Milwaukee River, is now under an accelerated $3.96 million reconstruction contract after emergency repairs in 2009.
The bridge may have been more susceptible to saline attack than the freeway, largely a concrete structure. To keep the movable span light, the bridge’s decking is corrugated steel (like a cheese grater) that allows salt to creep into nooks and crannies, expediting the structure’s deterioration.
Plus, the open decking (unlike the freeway’s solid roadbed) permits much more salt to fall into the river below. As covered in a recent NewsBuzz story, a recent U.S. Geological Survey study found that runoff from road salt creates toxic conditions in most of Milwaukee’s waterways during the winter.
This article originally appeared on a website called Milwaukee Buzz News from Milwaukee Magazine. It is reproduced here with the permission of the author.
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Saturday, September 11, 2010
- The subject of much debate, the historic 1921 Pennsylvania truss bridge at Healdsburg, California,
will be saved and rehabilitated to continue carrying traffic.
- Plans to rehabilitate the Murray Morgan Bridge in Tacoma, Washington, a vertical lift span,
are still on track.
- Alabama is about to get its own Historic Bridge Park. The first project, an 1882 bowstring truss, was relocated to its new home
at Northport, Alabama, with a dedication set for October.
- Carrollton, Georgia, is rehabilitating a wooden railroad overpass instead of replacing it.
It's a win-win situation as the rehabilitation is expected to be much less expensive than a UCEB replacement, while also avoiding some red tape.
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By J.R. Manning
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The (relatively) newly completed rebuild of the Marquette Interchange faces a serious design flaw, closing an entrance ramp earlier tonight. A concrete column cap has developed cracks, forcing emergency closure of the ramp that feeds 15,000 cars to southbound I-43 from downtown Milwaukee.
A spokesman from the Wisconsin DOT and from HNTB, consulting engineers on the project, said at a press conference that the ramp is in no danger of falling down but the closure is being made for public safety. The DOT spokesman says the cracks are a result of a design flaw and that the entire cost of the repair will be bourne by the design firm. No one is venturing a guess as to how long the ramp will be closed.
Backups during the afternoon rush hour Sept 2
are indicative of what the next several months
will be like as the ramp is repaired.
Image from Wisconsin DOT.
The Marquette Interchange reopened to traffic on August 19, 2008, ahead of schedule, after being rebuilt over a period of four years. The "design flaw" is a major concern to the DOT, commuters and taxpayers.
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By J.R. Manning
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Green Bay
Press-Gazette has reported that the Wisconsin DOT will replace the Wrightstown Bridge. Construction of the new bridge will be just to the south of the current span. The report says 11 homes and 9 businesses will be destroyed to fascilitate building the new span.
The new bridge will cost an estimated $29 million and will include rounadabouts at each end and will include bicycle paths.
Link: Green Bay Press-Gazette: New Wrightstown bridge to go south of old bridge.
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Sunday, August 29, 2010
Rain showers, cattle crossings, dropped cameras, and security guards weren't enough to put a damper on last week's Historic Bridge Weekend in Pittsburgh.
Here are some random photos from the event.
Bridges in Pennsylvania are dropping like flies, as evidenced by this summer's loss of the Kreitz Road Bridge and the soon-to-be-demolished Venango Veterans Bridge, Mead Avenue Bridge, Hulton Bridge and more. There is hope, however, thanks to the precedent set by Nate Clark in saving the Quaker Bridge.
Thanks to Todd Wilson for organizing the first two Historic Bridge Weekends. Rumor has it that the third event will be held next July in St. Louis, Missouri. Like Pennsylvania, Missouri's historic bridge population is dwindling rapidly.
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The National Bridge Inventory is a nationwide database of bridges that carry traffic on public roads, based on inspection data submitted by each state. Despite its many flaws, oddities, and omissions, the NBI has formed the backbone for Bridgehunter.com's database.
After years of arguing that disclosure of the NBI would be a "national security risk", the Federal Highway Administration posted the database online a few years ago. However, like many public data sources, it's in a very inconvenient format, in this case featuring fixed-width ASCII text columns that represent bleeding-edge technology... for 1983.
I've spent a fair amount of "quality" time working with the NBI data. As a result, I'm happy to announce OVERPASS, a new program for converting the raw ASCII text format files into something more useful. (No surprise, OVERPASS is a acronym: Online Versatile Engine Reporting, Presenting, And Studying Spans).
You can download it here. It requires the Perl programming language and access to a command line, so this isn't for newbies. However, it's straightforward to convert each state into a CSV file suitable for importing into Excel, OpenOffice Calc, Access, or the spreadsheet/database program of your choice.
To use the program, first run overpass --help to see a help screen that shows all of the options. Then you'll do something like overpass mo09.txt > mo09.csv to make the conversion.
Hopefully the FHWA will eventually make the NBI available in a more user-friendly format. Until then, if you're a serious bridgehunter, the OVERPASS program is available to turn the NBI into something half-way useful.
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Sunday, July 11, 2010
After a few weeks of beta-testing and squashing embarrassing bugs, our companion website,
LandmarkHunter.com, is now up and running. (Hopefully any remaining bugs aren't as embarrassing.)
The new site follows the same basic design, with listings organized by state and then county. Instead of just bridges and tunnels, it has nearly everything under the sun. While the new site does have pages for bridges that are on the National Register of Historic Places, the Bridgehunter.com site will remain the primary database for bridge information and photos.
If you signed up for a Bridgehunter.com editor's account before June 1, then you should already have a login on LandmarkHunter.com with the same username and password. The editing system is very similar, but there's a help page available with more details.
Enjoy!
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Medora Covered Bridge
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Jason Smith is conducting a survey for an upcoming conference "on the attitudes of people towards places of historic interest, focusing on historic bridges." If you'd like to participate,
here is the questionnaire (Word document) which you can email to
JDSmith77@gmx.net.
For German speakers, here's a German version. Die internationale Version erhalten Sie hier. Es ist auf Englisch und Deutsch.
Update July 20: The survey has been updated with clarifications to some of the questions. The deadline is now July 30 so Jason Smith will have time to tabulate the results for his presentation at the Historic Bridge Weekend in Pittsburgh on August 20-22.
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010
As I
mentioned earlier, I'm working on a companion website called LandmarkHunter.com that will feature various landmarks that are not
bridges. I'm in the process of importing data from the National Register of Historic Places, a major undertaking with almost 90,000 records.
Categorizing these landmarks is a monster job, and the NRHP is only the first phase. I'm also going to be grabbing data from the HABS/HAER projects,
USGS placenames file, and post office records.
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Friday, May 28, 2010
Two years ago, flash floods wiped out historic bridges
in
Iowa
and
Missouri. Then
flooding in March of this year caused havoc in Rhode Island. While those events
were bad enough, the May 1-2 flood in Tennessee has taken
the cake for destruction.
Described as an "unprecedented" flood in Nashville history,
the deluge wiped out several historic truss
bridges in Central Tennessee:
- Centerville Bridge, Hickman County, a 1913 two-span Pratt through truss: Completely destroyed
- Old TN 100 Bridge, Davidson County, a relocated 1889 Parker through truss: Completely destroyed
- Hurricane Mills Bridge, Humphreys County, a 1911 Pratt through truss: Completely destroyed
- Tanksley Bridge, Humphreys County, a 1904 two-span Camelback through truss: One span completely destroyed
- Kettle Mill Bridge, Maury County, a 1904 Pennsylvania through truss: Approach span destroyed.
The main span survived (barely), but a Pratt pony truss approach was wiped out, even though the bridge
sits on very tall Lally columns. The sheer amount of water that passed through here must have seemed biblical.
I have an ugly feeling that there are other bridges to add to the list...
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Saturday, May 15, 2010
Instead of the usual parade of bad news about bridge demolitions and disasters,
here's a roundup of positive historic bridge preservation news.
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Monday, April 5, 2010
Google's Street View is proving to be extremely useful, but also painfully addictive. I've added the ability to show multiple Street View perspectives for a single bridge. Here are a couple of examples:
Brooklyn Bridge:
http://bridgehunter.com/ny/kings/brooklyn/
Twelfth Street Bridge in Kansas City, showing the many levels of this three-level structure:
http://bridgehunter.com/mo/jackson/twelfth-street/
Just click the tabs next to the Street View widget to switch between views. Note: Even on a fast connection, it usually takes a few seconds to switch views.
If you have an editor's account, you will need to go to the new "Add Street View" page instead of the bridge's edit page in order to add Street View scenes. This new page includes a built-in map and Street View preview tool so that you can track down the best views without the need to go to the Google website and copy-and-paste code.
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By J.R. Manning
Friday, April 2, 2010
The Wisconsin DOT reopened northbound US 45 through the Zoo Interchange at 1:00 AM this morning. The old bridge, closed because of structural difficulties, was replaced by a new bridge that was built parallel to the old one. US 45 was supposed to be closed until Memorial Day.
Construction officials said that nice weather and a stepped up schedule allowed the new bridge to be completed ahead of schedule.
Citizens are skeptical of the story and controversy continues to rage over the surprise closing of the old bridge and sudden opening of the new span.
Either way, northbound US 45 is open and the so-called "Barrett Bypass" is now closed. Work continues on two other bridges in the interchange that are being replaced. Officials say those bridges will be completed by Memorial Day, as originally planned.
Link: http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/89651647.html
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