Hoffman's Crossing Road Bridge

Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Photos

approaching the bridge from the southeast. Note decay on curved bracket below portal bracing. Were decorations removed at some point? Also notice hip rod adjustment through top chord - this is unusual on a through truss, but not too uncommon on a pony truss.

Photo taken by Andrew Pearce in August 2012

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Description

"The 7-panel pin-connected Pratt thru truss bridge is a remarkably complete example of its type. It is supported on random ashlar abutments. The stone wingwalls are topped with pipe railings. Verticals are laced and portals are latticed. Lattice railings remain. Top struts and knee bracing have been reinforced with welded plates. The few repairs noted are unobtrusive and do not compromise the original fabric of the bridge. The nearly unaltered bridge enjoys integrity of setting and design."

"BIBLIOGRAPHY: Hunterdon County Engineer's Office, Bridge Card L140. Hunterdon County Master Plan: Sites of Historic Interest, 1979. Darnell, Victor C. A Dictionary of American Bridge-Building Companies, 1840-1900. Washington, D.C.: Society for Industrial Archeology, 1984.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: The seven-panel, pin-connected, full hip Pratt truss bridge is remarkably well preserved. The top chord is composed of channels, toe out and cover plates with lacing. The bottom chords consist of stamped eyebars. Verticals are composed of channels with lacing on each side. The diagonals are stamped eyebars while the counters are rods. The portals are latticed with A knee bracing. Floor beams are hung using U-bolt hangers. The original lattice web railings remain. The bridge is supported on ashlar abutments with wingwalls finished with pipe railings. According to county records, the abutments were repaired in 1967 and the wingwalls were re-pointed in 1975. The corrugated steel deck with asphalt overlay was added in 1970. Lateral bracing has been welded to the top chords, and knee bracing has been welded to each vertical and lateral brace.

HISTORICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The nearly unaltered pin-connected Pratt thru truss bridge is the only documented example of the work of a small New Jersey fabricator, Tippett and Wood (criterion C). According to Victor Darnell, this Phillipsburg (Warren County) firm was established in 1868 and operated until at least 1901. Although the bridge does not exhibit any unusual design details, it is a well-preserved example of an important late-19th century bridge type. Its significance is enhanced by the fact that it is documented as being the work of a little-known local fabricator. The bridge, located adjacent to a well-preserved Hoffman home dating to the 19th century, enjoys integrity of setting and design."

see: http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/environment/pdf/Historic_BR_Hunterdon.pdf

is this one over-rated? An accident waiting to happen?

Written by Andrew Pearce

I am concerned that this bridge is rated for a bigger load than it ought to have.

Cars and trucks come down the hill and across the bridge at 40-50mph, when they should be doing 15. The sight line is nice and long, so you can see from either side whether another vehicle is coming the other way. When the coast is clear, cars just zoom across the nearly two lanes wide bridge.

Rated at 16 tons, I was on the bridge when a 4 ton truck crossed at perhaps 35mph, and the bridge was shaking considerably.

This is a nice little old bridge, but it does NOT appear to be built or modernized to handle this kind of load. Compare this one to the much heavier built Rockafellows Mills bridge at the other end of the county, (http://bridgehunter.com/nj/hunterdon/10RQ164/) a similar width, height, and style bridge 40% longer that was originally rated at 3 tons and got a magnificent upgrade renovation that really does allow it to handle 16 tons - but at 15mph, not 50.

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts

Overview: Through truss bridge over South Branch Raritan River on Hoffmans Crssng Road
Location: Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Status: Open to traffic
History: Built 1898; rehabilitated 1994
Builder: - Tippett & Wood of Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Design: Pratt through truss
Dimensions: Length of largest span: 103.0 ft.
Total length: 104.0 ft.
Deck width: 16.1 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 14.2 ft.
Recognition: Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called: Hoffmans Crossing Road Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude: +40.70694, -74.86083 (decimal degrees)
40°42'25" N, 74°51'39" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates: 18/511755/4506235 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map: Califon
Inventory numbers: NJ 10XX140 (New Jersey bridge number)
BH 25262 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 06/2011): Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Functionally obsolete
Sufficiency rating: 46.5 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2011): 1,255

Update Log

August 18, 2012: Updated by Andrew Pearce: added county data and link
August 15, 2012: Essay added by Andrew Pearce