Here's a picture of this bridge. Design was a Camelback truss and a Pratt Truss.
Old bridge is not easily visible on when driving by due to the traffic and raised level of the newer bridge.
Here is the current bridge.
Here is what's left of the old bridge. Only the north abutment remains. The other side was used as a boat ramp.
Says on the bridge that it was possibly built in 1889.
That one appears to have been further South.
Is this the one at FM 521 near the Mims Community?
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.
Be warned. This ferry is a serious tourist draw. Wait times in-season especially on the weekends especially from the island to Bolivar peninsula can be up in the range of 2+ hours (with five ferry boats running.). Off season weekends can have wait times well over an hour.
There is a program where locals can buy a fast lane pass (it goes both ways) and real medical emergencies can skip ahead from the Bolivar side to the island.
Your GPS may send you on shortcuts, but cutting is against the law on Ferry Boulevard (all the way to Seawall Boulevard.) Left turns toward the ferry are not allowed where there is a line. The police ACTIVELY and regularly patrol and enforce the line. Generally they just throw you out of line and send you back to the west end of the line, but at times there are fines and even arrests made. The westbound line is not as bad, but there is generally at least one Sherriff's deputy over there.
The wooden bridge section going over the swamp on the Louisiana side was burned by a fire in 1973. There used to be a East Orange, LA with a few businesses but are no longer approachable with the bridge torn down and the wooden bridge burned. All this is posted on texasfreeway.com
A replacement bridge is being built to replace the current swing bridge. It is very strange because you have to loop into it because the span has to be shortened and they had to eliminate the normal straight approaches.
I don't think this thing is this old. I REMEMBER ABSOLUTELY driving on the old Texas Viaduct. This ramp is part of the replacement project. The old Texas Viaduct was paved with wooden Cobble (settes...blocks) it was terrible.
I want to think it was after my wife and I moved to Bowie County in the eighties. I am absolutely sure I was not driving in Texarkana in 1975. Pretty much the pasture was my limit in 1975. I was 14 then.
I cannot imagine my parents tolerating me driving on it as bad as it was. That puts it into the early eighties. It MIGHT have been before we moved to the area. My wife and I did go to Texarkana a few times before we moved there...
I think Houston's Metro transit bought the rail line and its property for future use as commuter rail but did nothing with it.
Location on the map I think is wrong, the pic lists the railroad bridge as the north of both spans which means the older span is located on the southern end at near Liberty St. You can see the downtown photo on this at the left end.
There is another old 35 bridge near Angleton y'all need to put down. The old 35 bridge over Oyster Creek outside Angleton. Go down Sebesta Rd (Co. Rd 609), which is old 35 and at the end walk further to the creek where you see wooden posts remaining from the old bridge. It might have been replaced the same time as the East Columbia Bridge.
I think as late as 1958, I am not sure that this bridge also took hwy traffic as well as the old 288.
Residents were once promised that the toll would be temporary when it was built when it was paid off but that never happened. In the early 2000's someone crashed through the toll booth and tolls were waived for a couple of years until a new booth was built.
They are building a new bridge along side this one. I don't know if the old one will remain.
This bridge remained after the construction of I-10 into sometime in the 70's. It was the old hwy TX-73 bridge which was the old hwy before I-10.
This now basically the bridge to nowhere. It is what is left of Old US 290 and only goes a mile further to dead-end after going under I-10.
Do the infamous canal bridge near the intersection of FM523 and TX332 in Oyster Creek. Many locals know about that bridge because several people missed the bridge overnight and went missing into the canal, when they were discovered at the bottom sometime in the early 1980's, some after years being missing. A new bridge had to be built to straighten out the curve to prevent further accidents.
This bridge was torn down when I was still wearing diapers but my family remembers it well. I did once talk to the Freeport city engineer years ago and he told me the bridge had to be torn down due to the salt water rusting the deck and the river currents eating away the silt at the bottom of the posts exposing more of the post foundation. Do the bridge at FM2004. I lived nearby as a kid and saw it being built around 1987. I have been on this bridge as a baby but I was too young to remember it.
Historic Aerials is only marginally helpful for this location...the earliest aerial available is only from 1982. There are topographic maps from 1953 and 1969 that indicate a bridge, though I...think? those maps can be outdated by a given number of years. The next map after that is 1980, which shows it gone.
According to historical photos I've seen this bridge was built about 1912 as a one-lane wagon bridge and according to a map I saw I think it was torn down about 1957 or 1958. I might be wrong because there might be another bridge built here between this time because I saw a 1940 picture of the bridge and looked wider and more modern.
Before this bridge closed, I was starting to get scared of crossing this bridge. It was rusting and a piece of the deck was starting to dip. Semi-trucks really took a toll on this bridge and you would hear a loud clank under the bridge when they crossed.
The location of this bridge on the map is wrong. It is nearby at Hwy 523 and you can see where it was bypassed. It is where Bastrop Beach Rd. hits the Bayou. Hwy 2004 was not built till 1962.
Small pieces of this bridge were put in the Freeport Historical Museum.
Here's one from the Library of Congress from 1926...I don't know how helpful this would be though.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4031p.ct001207/?r=-0.577,-0.18...
Nearest railroad mainline is shown as RI on topos available via HistoricAerials. Map screencap on the entry shows that the FW&D and Frisco routes had trackage rights.
Looking through the photos of the bridge, the seventh photo is a map from 1957 showing that the two bridges connected and that they were both for the railroad. I think it was T&P Railroad though, not RI.
Thank you! I was able to zoom in and find it and now will check it out on Historicaerials.com with the coordinates you so kindly provided!
I...think? Melinda is referring to this location:
32.796027, -97.122374
Here's where it gets a bit tricky. If you turn on satellite on the embedded map, on this page, and start zooming in, it will very quickly give you super-clear imagery. Follow along the river north and east, and you will come to a spot where it clearly shows two large structures, one at each side of the river.
You can't do this with the map in a separate tab, however - for whatever reason, the map won't refresh with "updated" imagery in a separate tab, it'll only use the "regular" Google satellite imagery. (I wish I knew why.)
I punched those coordinates into Historic Aerials, and I...think? There's something still there crossing the river in 1956 and 1957. It also looks like it was removed not too long after that (even by 1963, it appears gone). I can't be completely sure, however, because it keeps giving me images where "HISTORICAERIALS.COM" crosses right over the exact spot that we need to see. -_-
In any case, I believe that is what Melinda is referring to with: "I am now trying to find out what bridge is in River Legacy Park that only has the concrete pillars left and is clearly visible from the paved walking path along the West Fork of the Trinity River."
I don't know if it yet has an entry here, though.
Art:
"The bridge where the fatal accident involving Arlington High School students in 1961 was burned and was never replaced and is now a calvert off of what is now Greenbelt."
That would be this bridge.
Art:
Here's the Trammel Davis bridge (obviously).
And Arlington is also in Tarrant County, so ostensibly she's referring to something there.
From what I understand as of October 2020. The Fort Griffin bridge is no longer functional, and has not been for some time. Although it is on a county road, travel there is discouraged for reasons explained below.
I inquired about the bridge at the Fort Griffin Historic Site visitors center, and I quote; "although the road is county road, the bridge is not passable, this would force you to turn around on private land." Apparently the landowner has seen some issues with trespassing and vandalism at the Fort Griffin town site, which is apparently on private land just before the bridge.
I drove to the area, and can confirm the road does not appear maintained beyond the residence entrance on the road prior to the bridge. Note: I did not leave the county road.
I did not continue to the bridge site or even the town site, though I could clearly see the buildings. Out of respect for the landowner I did not pursue visiting the bridge.
This bridge was widened from it's original design to accommodate the widening of US81/US79 that was routed through here. There is another bridge that pre-dates this one, but it was used only to cross the creek. It appears to still be there. There's quite a few of these concrete bridges sitting abandoned throughout Williamson County that once was used for what was then SH 2.
The Paddock Viaduct was the first concrete arch bridge in the United States to employ self-supporting reinforcing steel.
October 7th, 1937, in the Coleman County Chronicle newspaper, a celebration was held and they stated the bridge was reconstructed using a 200 yard span of the old Milburn Bridge which was also washed away during the flood of 1936.
Here's a link, thought it may be of interest to some of you. The pilings are left on the old Milburn bridge but that's it, and it's on private property and generally inaccessible.
I can link to it on Google Maps if there's any interest.
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth732580/m1/5/z...
Here is another image from Mid July 2020. I've used the Milky Way to silhouette the Waldrip Bridge. After snapping the picture and looking at the screen of my DSLR camera, I knew I was in for a treat. That was just a magical night under the stars and a Texas Sky.
For the photographers out there: 20mm f/1.8 lens, 20.0 s. ISO 1600.
My IG account is Matt4jpeg.
Tony,
Did Vincennes have anything to do with Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Works? Because the marker text from THC reported that Hess and Skinner were agents for what they called the "Missouri Bridge Company"
https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=t...
Very distinctive plaque that matches those of the Vincennes Bridge Company. I would bet a few bucks that VBC was subcontracted to fabricate the trusses.
Located this bridge yesterday and its in really bad shape, attached are some photos
Has been replace with new concrete bridge
This just seems to be this: http://bridgehunter.com/oh/gallia/adamsville/ but with just one girder instead of two
> Also what the heck am I looking at, this bridge confuses me.
There aren't a lot of photos, but what I'm seeing is sort of a single web "solid truss". Yes, "solid" and "truss" are mutually exclusive, but maybe it will help the thought process.
There are two functions.
First is the fins and the center beam make a rigid, load bearing span across space. So those fins are above the beam, so they are under compression - which is a good use for concrete. They are doing pretty much the same thing that a pony or through truss's webs are doing, except these are solid.
The second function is the side-to-side cantilevers that support the deck and transfer the load onto the center beam. This is show by the under-the-deck photos.
Does this help? Or am I answering the wrong question?
As it is asymmetrical, with the demolition of the Nine Span Bridge should this be listed as last of it's kind? Being the last notable Asymmetric bridge in the country.
Also what the heck am I looking at, this bridge confuses me.
This bridgde has been replaced by a concrete bridge and the old bridge removed. Verified 9/11/20
This bridge has been replaced by a concrete bridge and the old one removed. Verified 9/11/20
Has a Chicago Bridge Company plaque.
Your date of construction is wrong. It was either 1917 or 1918. Now I'm at home so I'm not at the bridge right now, but the year is very clearly written in the concrete. I just don't remember if it said 1917 or 1918.
In case the Person is interested, I would like to nominate this pic for the Bridgehunter's Awards for 2020. :-) JS
Awesome! That one deserves to be in the running for Jason's bridge photo award.
The stars at night are big and bright ...
Awesome! That one deserves to be in the running for Jason's bridge photo award.
The stars at night are big and bright ...
Neat pic!
I took this image in the middle of July, 2020. God bless a Texas sky.
Very fascinating bridge. Thanks for sharing.
Henry
The bridge has been converted to a one lane bridge with alternating directional lights
This photo was taken on March 20, 2014 during the rehabilitation.
Also, UP intends to replace this bridge.
Center truss span matches this AmBridge built Harriman Lines Common Standard design.
Was this bridge really built by Phoenix, or is the referenced record referring to a previous bridge at this location?
YouTube video taken 7/23/2020
This bridge was originally constructed one-half mile south of the bridge on Willow Springs Road. It was located on the old Fayetteville to Industry road and completed in December 1915. However, it was bypassed when State Highway 159 was laid out between the two bridges in the 1920s. The bridge was moved to this site about 1929. The Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives in La Grange has several photographs showing the original approaches being constructed in 1915.
The bridge was completed on August 6, 1885, soon followed by an all-day picnic celebration. The site was chosen by a bridge engineer, causing the old Fayetteville to Industry road to be diverted to access the new bridge that was one-half mile north of the old crossing. The Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives in La Grange is hoping to find early photographs of this bridge.
Nathan,
I like it. Does anyone have pictures of the other side to see what the other plaque says and if the remains of the ponies are still there?
Regards,
Art S.
1912 according to the date punched into the portal plate.
How old is it?
I found historical photos that show this bridge used to have a very cool pony truss approach system.
Hi!
The bridge is no longer National Register eigible with the reconstruction that it has undergone... I was one of the Consulting Parties on the project.... CK
Replaced by bridge
Fully intact in 1995 aerial view. Appears to be partially dismantled in 2004 view, and completely gone by 2008.
The alignment was the Santa Fe (ATSF) Hamlin Sub, still active as late as 1989, but haven't found anything else about it.
I added this bridge because so many people on this website have been good at digging up historical photos and info about long lost bridges. This bridge was in the middle of nowhere so it might be a challenge. But it was a large bridge over a major river. I am sure it was a railroad bridge because we know the previous 1901 highway bridge in this area was closer to the existing highway bridges.
Replaced in the late 80s or early 90s.
Just a heads up about this bridge, I field visited it last year and found that the southeast caisson is sinking and/or tipping over. Its definitely lower, and one of the braces between the caissons has been ripped out of the other and the truss is showing some visible distortion. This bridge should be considered at high risk for collapse. https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=t...
I would like to find out more about the bridge next to this one that it replaced. It has a wooden roadbed. See pic.
Bridge is having currently closed due to damage to superstructure. Repairs are scheduled to be complete before Memorial day weekend.
Bridge replacement is not on the horizon. TXDOT has supposedly agreed to replace the existing historic bridge with a similar appearing truss bridge.
My family used to hang out on the beach under the Galveston end of this bridge, because the bridge made a great sunshade. If we wanted sunshine, it was just a few feet away.
Happens by the Jonesboro bridge last weekend. Curious if the route and it's importance last century.
Photos from 4/29/2020.
I will happily take you up on having done the footwork, my friend, and I just submitted a few more photos. If I may, it's "Cemetery". Thanks! 🙂
Additional photos taken on 4/29/2020
Steve, there was no previously-added bridge here, so I went and created an entry based off your information!
How do you get to this bridge? My kids live to explore and we have seen this pop up in our searches and would love to go!
Links to Some old pictures of the Rainbow Bridge
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth202596/m1/1/h...
https://therecordlive.com/2013/09/04/rainbow-bridge-nears-75...
https://live.staticflickr.com/77/203014176_66be9812f8_n.jpg
http://kogt.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/rainbow-bridge-19...
The bridge is sturdy and open to traffic.
The north access to the bridge had tall grass and ticks on my trip to see it. The previously burnt bridge is slowly being consumed by nature.
I was a little annoyed to discover on Google Maps this in-storage pony truss just steps away from a bowstring truss bridge I visited in person. Although it appears to be in a fenced in wastewater treatment area, so it might be difficult to get photos of despite its proximity to the park and bridge.
As they say, "Follow the money". It would be interesting to see who makes the money from the scrap sale and how they got that right.
It was sitting on temporary K-rails for the work that they had planned to do to it. Unfortunately, they decided to cut it up rather than move it somewhere for foot traffic or sell it to a bridge restorer. It just infuriates me when history gets tossed into the trash!
Hiked this two days ago. Going strong.
Hiked this two days ago. Going strong.
You would assume incorrectly, as girder bridges can be quite old.
For example, this 1898 deck girder near me: https://bridgehunter.com/ia/story/bh49288/
The picture shows a modern replacement bridge. I would assume the 1910 bridge was replaced.
That style of postcard was common in the 1930s-late 1960s
...that postcard really dates to the 50s? (This bridge has a build year of 1950.) Seems like it'd be older than that.
I was in 4th grade we moved to Kingwood in 1980. Not unlike every teenager, we thought Kingwood was "boring, etc." but one of the things we loved doing in high school, was to gather under the bridges (US59 aka I69 have had at least 2 highway lanes in both directions running right next to this San Jacinto crossing. The bridge had section of the roadway wash away in the flood waters caused by Tropical Storm Allison. The powers that be, chose to build new motor vehicle crossing right beside the Bevel Jarrel but managed to save the old bridge, turning it into a pedestrian bridge. The new nature trail another post mentions I believe is finished, the initial 40 mile section, that is.. Love this newly discovered website! Thanks!
I’ve also seen this design in Colorado. I’m guessing it was a standard design for the railroad. It appears most were built between 1897-1902.
Looking at the stone piers with concrete caps I wonder if there was a prior bridge here.
Similar to the AT&SF stone and brick arches in Leavenworth County Kansas.
