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Glaze's Ford/Smith Bridge

Washington County, Tennessee
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Photo taken by Calvin Sneed in August 2010

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Description 

Glaze's Ford is the original location on the Nolichucky River where the bridge was built in 1901, by the early 1920's, it became known as the Smith Bridge. A flood in 1901 delayed construction, and the middle pier had to be rebuilt. When finished, it was described by the contractor as "a first-class modern steel superstructure upon massive piers of solid masonry." Extensive repairs in 1912-1913 including rivets that strengthened the pin connections, top and bottom eyerods and top and end chords.

Pony truss on north end has an unusual 75-degree skew as the former road abruptly connected to the bridge around a curve on the side of a hill.

Because of the riveted structure (way before its time), the masonry piers, and the skewed pony truss, this bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Facts 

Overview
Pratt through truss bridge over Nolichucky River
Location
Washington County, Tennessee
Status
Closed to all traffic
Future prospects
Available for reuse
History
Built in 1901 at Glaze's Ford, flood damage repaired and strengthened in 1912-1913, closed in 1983 and left intact on private property
Builders
- E.N. Matthews
- Southern Bridge Co.
Design
Two pin-connected Pratt through trusses, one riveted Pratt pony through truss built on a skew of 75 degrees.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 140.8 ft.
Total length: 294.0 ft.
Deck width: 14.0 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+36.19662, -82.63768   (decimal degrees)
36°11'48" N, 82°38'16" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
17/352760/4006999 (zone/easting/northing)
Elevation
1402 ft. above sea level
USGS topographic map
Chuckey
Inventory number
BH 45837 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Available for reuse (162)
Built 1901 (284)
Built during 1900s (4,247)
Closed (2,074)
E.N. Matthews (1)
Have street view (9,908)
NR-eligible (3,751)
Owned by county (16,492)
Pony truss (13,217)
Pratt pony truss (2,342)
 Pratt through truss (3,166)
Pratt truss (5,660)
Southern Bridge Co. (2)
Span length 125-175 feet (2,955)
Tennessee (772)
Through truss (9,211)
Total length 250-500 feet (3,371)
Truss (23,575)
Washington County, Tennessee (7)

Update Log 

  • August 9, 2010: New Street View added by Calvin Sneed
  • August 8, 2010: Added by Calvin Sneed

Sources 

  • Calvin Sneed - us43137415 [at] yahoo [dot] com

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