Bridgehunter.com | Rockafellows Mill Bridge

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portal view

Photo taken by Andrew Pearce in July 2012

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Description

This one gets my vote for the best looking non-Phoenix column Pratt in the county. It is simply a beautiful bridge, and a nice surprise; it's only about 3 minutes from downtown super-suburban Flemington NJ, after a short drive out the industrial end of River Road. Turn the corner and this bridge suddenly appears from under the trees as if you've jumped back 100 years in time.

The 2010 rehabilitation is covered at http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newjersey/rockefellowsmills/

along with numerous "before" pictures. While the renovated bridge is no longer 100% original (new railings and floor beams) it is 5 times stronger than before, going from a 3 ton rating to a 15 ton rating.

This bridge is also a bit atypical for the area, with a single span of nearly 140 feet. Most other old bridges in the county are two span ponies for that width. The A-frame portal bracing is the only sway bracing on the bridge. There is none where the verticals meet the top laterals, although such bracing is not at all uncommon on through trusses in the area.

This bridge is almost exactly the same as the Fryer's Ford bridge that collapsed. Same builder, same age. Much better cared for. http://bridgehunter.com/ar/conway/fry/

Facts

Overview: Through truss bridge over South Branch Raritan River on Rockafellows Mill
Location: Flemington NJ, Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1900 refurbished 2010
Builder: - Wrought Iron Bridge Co. of Canton, Ohio
Design: Pratt through truss
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 138.1 ft.
Total length: 140.1 ft.
Deck width: 15.4 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 13.7 ft.
Recognition: Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called: Rockefellows Mill Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +40.52056, -74.82028 (decimal degrees)
40°31'14" N, 74°49'13" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 18/515223/4485551 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Flemington
Inventory numbers: NJ 10RQ164 (New Jersey bridge number)
BH 25308 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 08/2011): Deck condition rating: Excellent (9 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Very Good (8 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Very Good (8 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 69.5 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2011): 547

Update Log

August 16, 2012: Updated by Andrew Pearce: added pictures and data

Sources

Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth

Comments

Rockafellows Mill Bridge

Posted August 21, 2012, by Fmiser (fmiser [at] gmail [dot] com)

Nice photos, Andrew! And I appreciate the text that's with them.

On the photo "another view below", those lateral pieces between the outer two strigers (joists) are called diaphrams. No, I don't know why. *smiles*

This looks like a first-rate rehab. Stainless steel pins. Railing not attached to verticals. The parts above the deck look authentic.

It is no longer historically authentic - but it is now a useable part of a modern highway system.