Thanks to Art S and the Kleins for opening this post. But there is a major aspect to this older Halstead Street bridge: this bridge was a Lowthorp design, built by Cowin and the Lambertville Iron Works. Thus is was a near twin to the world famous Lowthorp/Cowin bridge on Main St, 300 yards downriver.
The bridges were even painted the same color, were close to the same length, and may have been built at nearly the same time. The only real difference is that the Halstead Street bridge had two piers under it, while the Main Street bridge had just one.
The older older bridge at this location was a covered wood one, but I have been unable to find any information on that one other than that it once existed.
source for the pictures: http://www.westjerseyhistory.org/images/hunterdon/Clinton/
From the NJ DOT document:
https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/environment/pdf...
page 47, a 2002 report on the 1932 steel and concrete bridge over Halstead St in Clinton NJ. This bridge underwent a complete redesign and rebuild in 2007.
STRUCTURE # 1000097
HALSTEAD ST OVER SOUTH BRANCH RARITAN RIVER
CONSTRUCTION DT 1932 SOURCE INSCRIPTION
MATERIAL Steel TYPE STRINGER
LENGTH 131 ft WIDTH 24 ft# SPANS 3
DESIGNER/PATENT WALTER E.ROBERTS, CE
SETTING / CONTEXT
The bridge carries a 2-lane street and a sidewalk over a river. It is located in the well-preserved 19th-century town of Clinton. It is adjacent to a small city park. Although Clinton is not a listed National Register historic district, 4 nearby buildings are individually listed. The area is a potential historic district with a period of significance through about 1920. The bridge is noncontributing based on date of construction. It was built to replace a Lowthorp-Cowin pony truss.
DESIGN ENCASED BUILDER M. FRED MCPEEK
SUMMARY The three span concrete encased steel stringer bridge replaces an earlier covered wooden bridge. It is supported on concrete abutments with wingwalls and cutwater piers and is finished with standard-design concrete balustrades. The bridge is just a representative example of a common bridge type used by the county and state in pre-WW II road improvement projects. It is not technologically or historically significant. It is appreciably newer than the surrounding buildings.
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Was the Halstead St built 11 years before the similar Main St bridge? From the same document, page 159, structure 10XX0N1, the Lowthorp / Cowin pony truss on Main St Clinton, 300 yards downstream and around the bend from Hallstead St.
"William Cowin was the fabricator for all three remaining Lowthorp design bridges (N1, L-90W, G63). In addition to these, an Engineering News Record article (11/11/20, p.925) refers to an 1859 cast and wrought iron bridge in Clinton built by William and Charles Cowin.
Darnell dates Cowin's production as 1868 to 1870. More research is required to determine if Cowin was involved with the Lambertville Iron Works which also began production in 1859 and operated throughout the century.
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https://lambertvillehistoricalsociety.org/thenandnow/site2
The Lambertville Iron-Works were first established by Laver & Cowin in the spring of 1849. It was later run by Ashbel Welch III, (son of famed civil engineer Ashbel Welch 1809 – 1882). The principal business at that time was the making of patent axles, patent Eclipse safety-boilers, and steam-engines. The making of axles was a new branch of business and was steadily increasing. Lambertville Iron Works disbanded in 1886.
So it looks like Cowin was around then.
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William Johnson, the guy who invented the "eccentric" bridge tightener, worked for Lambertville Iron Works.
https://goodspeedhistories.com/bridge-part-two/
I do not know if the Halstead Street bridge had these devices, but the Main Street bridge does.
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