New Hope Through Truss Bridge

Nathan, Yeah, I hate to see little hidden treasures like this one go. Seems if they're not being torn down by idiots then they're dying from neglect. I must admit this one captivated the imagination a little, picturing what was U.S. 68 once upon a time crossing this. I would be curious to know when this was by-passed, much like I wish I had more info on the history of it's cousin down in Higginsport. At least the Higginsport Bridge does not seem to have the abutment issues this one did, but it has been engulfed by many a flood. I have to wonder what hope there is for abandoned structures like these?

Rick,

The loss of the bridge is tragic and extremely disappointing. However it is possible the county has left the remains there in an attempt to confirm whether any of the wrought iron (highly valued by blacksmiths and researchers) is desired by anyone. ODOT is making an active effort to foster better communication with counties about their historic bridges so the status of bridges can be better maintained and interested individuals can be kept up-to-date on any updates.

I have to admit I didn't think this bridge would last long the last time I visited---the abutment was clearly close to failure. With all the remains still on the bank a month and a half later, I'll assume nobody wants to be responsible for an abandoned bridge?

The email exchange mentioned the county was waiting for the water level to go down to complete bridge removal suggesting the water level has been high, but I didn't receive actual confirmation that the floods caused the collapse. Even if they did there are multiple potential causes for a collapse during a flood.

Nathan did a good photo documentation of this bridge for his website. When looking through his photos, I noticed that the abutments on this bridge were developing some serious cracks though I have certainly seen worse.

Was this area hit by flooding? I know they have had some rain back east. Regardless, this was a highly significant bridge and it's collapse represents a devastating loss.

Now, somebody is going to have an expensive environmental clean up.

Now that is just sad! It's bad enough we have mother nature and the various DOT's killing these off as it is but to have one just collapse is just wrong. Wonder what gave out to make the whole thing collapse like this.

TERRIBLE LOSS

Please, please don't let this happen to your bridge. There is nothing worse than finding a bridge in the water.

According to the info and photo supplied by the county, this bridge collapsed on the night of February 18, 2018.

Doug... Assuming you are aware of the costs associated with bridge ownership (construction costs, relocation costs, insurance, etc) I would contact Workin' Bridges contact Julie Bowers (jbowerz1 [at] gmail [dot] com) because they made an inquiry to this bridge a while back for a potential project. Tom Barrett with Ohio DOT may be able to help too.

The first step would be to find the current owner. I would suspect that the County owns the bridge, but I am not familiar with the area, so I do not know for certain.

I am interested in buying this bridge, who would I contact about this?

This is a beautiful bridge. Is there any hope of it being saved?