Roger Deschner

I have done as Luke advised, and created a new entry for the relocated bridge. It is linked in "Related Bridges".

A 7-span kingpost pony truss - never seen anything else quite like this bridge. All wood, expect for (presumably) wrought iron tension hangars.

What I want to see in Long Grove, is somebody with a webcam aimed at the bridge, so they can record all the crashes, and post them on YouTube. Not only could they turn the miscreants in to the authorities, but it could also be very entertaining. Just like all those hilarious videos from that 11'8" RR underpass in Durham NC.

Another covered bridge that has "been through the ringer and back" is in Philippi WV (BH 36774). After its last fire in 1989 (which was accidental, not arson), it was rebuilt with a fire sprinkler system. That was practical in Philippi because it's in a town with a water system. That may not be practical for bridges like Plummer Creek, which are in remote rural locations, having neither a municipal water system, nor even electricity to pump water out of the creek.

Looks like revival is moving along, and trains may once again go through the Tennessee Pass Tunnel.

Union Pacific has been using only its Moffat Tunnel and Wyoming routes for quite a while now, so it doesn't really need Tennessee Pass. The Tennessee Pass line has steeper grades and higher elevation, compared to the Moffat line. If Colorado Midland & Pacific can run passenger trains through Tennessee Pass, I'd like to be on board that train.

https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/12/31-rio-grande-...

Toll free through January 31. Discounted $1 toll for all of February with EZPass/I-pass. Time for a little joyride on a very high bridge with a great view of steel mills and Lake Michigan.

NBI says the bridge was built in 1985, but I just posted a photo of it I took in 1983. It's clearly the same bridge.

The cornerstone of the archway shows a date of 1908. The bridge was likely put there as part of the same project. It may have been provided by the NY Central RR as their contribution to the battlefield park. They might have found a surplus plate girder bridge in their inventory, cut it down to the length needed, and put it in over their tracks. It's previous use may have been to carry trains, suggested by its massive structure. It's narrow width and state of deterioration also suggests a 113 year old structure, not a 36 year old one.

Looking for more historical background on this one. Perhaps in the archives of the NY State Parks.

As for the future, it appears to just need a really good coat of paint.

I grew up in the area in the 1960s. It was the same long weekend wait times back then. As a young kid, the ferry boat ride was a big thrill, so sometimes we'd ride over just to turn around and ride back.

Bridge reconstruction, planned since 2017, is still on hold. Funding for a pedestrian-only replacement bridge has apparently already been secured by the city. Chicago Department of Transportation says, "The design process is taking longer than expected due to the historic nature of the bridge."

Notable historic parts that need to be preserved, are the original railings, the jack-arch design of the deck, and the limestone abutments. These abutments are historic in that they incorporate support for both this bridge, and a previous bridge at this location. They are in good enough condition to carry pedestrians and an occasional emergency vehicle. The deteriorated limestone wingwalls are not load-bearing, and could be repaired easily. The only part that has become compromised is the steel superstructure.

I can only speculate, that with the bitter controversy surrounding the proposed nearby Obama Center and massive expansion of the golf course, that now any change within historic Jackson Park is being scrutinized extremely carefully and publicly. That includes this NR-contributing bridge, which must now undergo full historic-site review at neighborhood council, city, state, and federal levels, along with the rest of Jackson Park. There may be further long delays. A strategy to repair rather then replace this bridge may become expedient, as the controversy involving the whole park continues.

Notable for a bridge this new (built 1966, rebuilt 1978), is the extensive use of built-up lattice members. Built-up members using V-lacing or lattice, are rarely seen this recently, except for historical purposes. After about 1950, it became less expensive to use a single piece of flat, rolled steel, with oval cut-out holes. I wonder if this older, more costly construction method was used to reduce the weight of the lift span. Royce and Bobette Haley's excellent photos here show the latticework very well.

My observation regarding Nathan Holth's comment about a mixture of bolted and riveted connections after the 1977 accident, is that many steel bridges of the 1960s era were originally built with a combination of riveted and bolted connections. (See 1967 La Grange Road Bridge near Chicago at https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=i... for more about this transition era.)

To get a vantage point to photograph this bridge, I went to the marina to its southeast. After buying a soda and securing permission to walk out on their dock, the marina store clerk said that this bridge was "quite a pain" because it frequently became stuck in the raised position. As in the 1977 accident, a long detour is required, on either the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry to the east, or I-295 to the west.

The dramatic photo of the Bidwell Bar Bridge, taken in September by AP photographer Noah Berger, of fires raging around the bridge, has now been featured again. In the New York Times "2020 The Year in Pictures", this was the top picture for September. In this article, Noah tells about taking this photo of the bridge, and about covering other aspects of that time for AP.

This photo, taken by a professional photojournalist for AP, could be 2020's most dramatic bridge photo. It captures one of the year's most significant events in a single image. A pity it's too late to enter it into the best bridge photos contest at Bridgehunter Chronicles.

Look at it here at NYTimes, because it's copyrighted. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/year-in-pictu...

What a find, while going through old family photos on color slides. My father photographed this bridge in 1952, with my mother standing by watching a period pickup truck cross the bridge. The sign at the left clearly points across the bridge to "Passaconaway", which is now mostly a ghost town located along route NH-112 (Kankamagus Highway) west of Conway NH. That sign definitely identifies where this picture was taken, and which bridge this is.

Since this is the east portal, and the sun is shining on the bridge deck itself, this picture was taken at about mid-morning.

This 1952 picture also shows that arson of wooden bridges is not a new phenomenon! Fortunately the fire didn't cause extreme damage, though that may be why it had no siding in 1952. The substructure was apparently not damaged at all. The lack of siding really shows off the Paddleford truss design in this photo.

I also changed the name of the road that crosses the bridge to Passaconaway Road, per NBI and Google maps.

(Picture that would have been here is now #41 above.)

This TV crew was on the Hiddenite Bridge in Alexander County NC on live TV when its approach suddenly gave way, giving them quite a scare. This was caused by the remains of Hurricane Eta. Watch it happen. Turn the sound up.

https://twitter.com/AmberFOX46/status/1327044528205869056

Though it is 72 years old, the Hiddenite Bridge only became notable by collapsing. NCDOT says, "The Cheatham Ford Road bridge over the South Yadkin River was built in 1948 and last inspected Oct. 23. The overall structure of the bridge is still intact, but the approach leading to the bridge has been washed out."

In the new second photo, it looks like a kingpost truss was added after construction to strengthen the bridge. That is not in the first photo.

Great added photos! In the first photo, this bridge appears to have one distinctive feature: a (somewhat lazy) guard dog.