Recent Virginia Comments
Post a comment Contact webmasterWho is the architect of Blackwater Creek Bridge, and is its' existence a result of New Deal projects. Was this bridge constructed with the help of CCC or WPA labor?
They are--that's how I found them. (-8
If they carried roads I would!
I think they're listed over on our sister site, LandmarkHunter though!
Does this mean you'll also be listing Pomona Natural Bridge & Cedar Wonders Natural (stone!) Arch, both of IL? ;-D
Does this mean you'll also be listing Pomona Natural Bridge & Cedar Wonders Natural (stone!) Arch, both of IL? ;-D
Just to be cheeky, I've listed this as stone arch.
My grandfather & his brother built this bridge! I have a photo of him & my grandmother standing on it. He & brother lived in Fluvanna, VA.
Demolition contract awarded:
Was this the same bridge that the shooting in 1930 (I believe) took place?
In comparing "before" and "after" topographic maps which are now available on the USGS web site, it appears that the Avens bridge was relocated when South Holston Dam was constructed. The original location was in the Abingdon quadrangle, upstream of the current site.
At this time, it was not uncommon for bridge components, such as truss sections, to be salvaged from TVA project areas and re-cycled for use at new locations. I do not know of any specific instances in the so-called "TVA Upper Holston Projects."
That's the "Million Dollar Question of the Day" anonymous!
The deck has probably been modified through the years, but the arch ring seems to be original.
Why is it ineligible?
And this replacement makes sense becaaauuse....??? I find it to be a complete waste of time and money to replace a one-lane bridge with a new...one lane bridge! Why? Are they trying to make it look like it fits in with its surroundings? They could have--and should have--restored the original bridge. It was a one-laner anyway, it would have saved a whole lot of money, and historic value and flavor would have been retained. There just is no class or aesthetic value to a concrete booger, no matter how narrow it is.
The old bridge was removed in November 2012. Work is ongoing for a new concrete one lane bridge to be completed by June 2013.
i crossed that bridge a year before it got washed out. i was so sad. i loved that bridge
i have some good pictures of it
Through a series of unrelated searches I came across an investigation by paranormal reality Tee Vee group about this railroad overpass. Dubbed one of the "Scariest Places on Earth". If you see any deranged Easter Bunnies running around ... it's probably not Ralphie from A Christmas Story.
tell people who built the blackwater creek bridge
My great grandfather was killed by a train on this trestle April 25,1895. His name was Marcellus Adolphus Matthews . There is an article in Lynchburg news 26 april, 1895 page 6, col. 3
I didn't update the NBI data like I mentioned in the update log. I bailed out at the last minute because...
This is a different bridge. Since this is a new bridge, replacing one that was historic, should the new bridge have a new entry?
The NBI lists the old bridge as 73ft long, the new on is 76. The old was 11ft wide, the new 22ft.
So rather than overwrite - and loose - the information on the old bridge I aborted. The photos are the new bridge, the description and type are the new bridge. The NBI is the old bridge. So right now it's half old/half new.
Which why should it go? I'm inclined to make it two listings - one old, one new.
The bridge is gone as of 2/12. Will be replaced by a boring overpass.
"Working in conjunction with the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, the Benjamin Harrison Bridge and its VDOT staff host a successful breeding program for peregrine falcons on its high towers."
Just goes to show how useless a National Register of Historic Places Listing is in this country.
This bridge is gone. I checked it out a couple days ago and only a UCEB remains.
Never mind. This article from July 2011 stated that it was already being dismantled and should be gone in a few months. I'm guessing it's completely gone by now.
http://www.independencedeclaration.com/content/teamwork-played-big-part-new-jp-carico-bridge
This link shows the replacement bridge being built. Does anyone know if the old bridge has been demolished yet?
The difference with this bridge is the relocation occurred over 50 years ago. Therefore it is a "historical" relocation. That seems to make a difference in my experience.
In my dealings with the Keeper if a bridge was moved without permission it is no longer on the list. It can be worked to go back on but not automatically. It might be eligible but site is an important consideration for them. Ie: they would not give permission to move Upper Bluffton because we were not putting it back over water. It was moved without permission and is no longer on NRHP. IT COULD perhaps be placed back on.
Keeper doesnt care that they were designed to move or be moved. Almost lost designation for McIntyre bowstring because we didnt ask to take it to Michigan, nor did we ask to let flooding take it!!
Long Shoals going through process with KSHS but has taken a long time for approval. All for some grants but no protections....
VDOT is trying to demolish and replace this bridge and they are claiming the bridge is not historic because it was relocated. This goes against common accepted policy which states that relocation does not automatically prevent a truss bridge from being Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places because truss bridges were designed to be easily relocated and thus their relocation is part of their history.
They have finished repairs on bridge . Now we wait for VDOT to inspect and open been a week.
Yes...definitely better than mounting them on top of the builder's plaque!
...of course I still prefer them on a pole about 20-30 feet away from the bridge.
Unique pony truss in a beautiful location. The combination cover plate/laced endposts are rather unusual.
Its nice that they posted the clearance sign above the plaque. In Pennsylvania, the clearance sign would be mounted directly on top of the plaque, possibly with holes drilled right through the plaque for this purpose.
Visited this bridge on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. This is a nice bridge, still open to traffic but with a 3-ton weight limit. Still in pretty good condition for a bridge built in the horse-and-buggy days.
Ladies and Gents we have one for the Good guy's as Virgina will preserve this bridge as pedestrian bridge.
http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/staunton/rockingham_county_-_route_1421_bridge.asp
See http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2010/01/2010-16.html for a Virginia Tech news story about a VT civil engineering student and her research study of this bridge. Elaine Huffman was an undergradute who did computer modeling and live load testing on the historic bridge.
Beautiful photo Loyd!
It is common (and often required by federal law) to offer a historic bridge slated for demolition to a third party. This however is not a preservation committment, and if nobody steps forward to take the bridge (which is the most common scenario) than the bridge would face demolition. I have however learned that Section 106 has not yet been conducted for this bridge, so VDOT is premature in describing this as a replacement project, before they have considered alternatives to avoid adverse effect.
This is a most unusual bridge. I have seen many uses of old rails in my life but never to this extent. I'd like to see better detail pictures of this particular bridge, if possible...
It looks like they are considering relocating the historic bridge if a party comes forward to take it.
According to the project website, http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/staunton/alleghany_county_8211_route_633.asp this historic bridge will be left in place next to its replacement.
Thank you for the comments. I've corrected the coordinates to show the correct map.
I would assume that 1966 is a relocation or remodel date, but the bridge is definitely much older than that. I would guess it to be about ca.1910
The build date is listed here as 1966, the main span looks much older though. Anyone know if this one might have been an older span that was relocated?
Agreed, this is quite a find. It looks like a Howe pony truss, or maybe even an adaptation of a Lane patent truss.
Very interesting and unusual find!
Not sure about anything about this bridge, I found some cellphone pictures of it on flickr. Not sure of the design nor the year built. But it is abandoned had has Balustrade Railings (thanks tony) and a curve. You can clearly see the bridge from bing maps. http://binged.it/vzmTAg And here is a link to the photos of the bridge that I found.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ranwulf/3452763223/in/photostream/ I've google searched shot out a few emails to no avail.
Yes... It's gone. 2009 shot with new one under construction.
History: This span and three others were built in the early 1900's as part of the Southern Railway's (now Norfolk Southern) "Lynchburg cut-off" project, which bypassed the original line of the railroad through downtown Lynchburg, with its tight curves and steep grades. Information I have gathered by perusing the microfilm archives of the local paper says that the contracts for the cut-off were let on April 2, 1906. The line opened for freight traffic on March 1, 1911, and passenger traffic followed on April 16, 1911. The span was built with double-track. The Southern single-tracked the trestle about 1962. This span has been the sight of several pedestrian (the RR calls them trespassers) fatalities over the years, the most recent being November 17, 2011.
In addition to this massive, iconic structure, (1860 ft. long and 150 ft. high) the other three trestles on the seven-mile-long cut-off are Harris Creek trestle, to the north of the James, and Blackwater Creek and Fishing Creek trestles to the south.
They closed it the other day
In bing birds eye it looks like a MOB
It's probably a MOB, but until someone actually goes on the trail and find out we won't know for sure.
There's a truss bridge just to the right of the this bridge down below the freeways. Bing's bird's eye view gives you a good look at it. Anybody know anything about this one? It doesn't appear to be listed.
Appears to be an expressway at that location now... and I see no signs of the bridge.
Unless by a stroke of good luck it has been moved to a yet undisclosed location...
State claims this bowstring to the oldest Iron Bridge in Virgina.
I uploaded the picture from flickr and it is also linked to the page as well.
This bridge is a fink deck truss and a picture on flickr is included.
Absolutely beautiful! If I'm ever in VA I'll go out of my way to see this bridge in person. Let's just hope some idiot in an over-loaded truck doesn't try to drive across it.
I love how ghetto the other tube is.
The eastern main truss was dropped today by explosives.
Despite obvious feasibility of rehabilitation, this historic truss will be blown up tomorrow. http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/288764
luv this bridge! been there once & am going back this summer this is an awesome sight (I stumbled on it via a link from garrettsbridges)
any more detailed dimensions available for this bridge?
I know of formations like this, but this is interesting because it actually carries a road!
This bridge was repainted without sandblasting using unique methods. Details on the project here. http://www.termarust.com/resources/DOT.php
This is the missing Variety Iron Works Bridge I was looking for some time ago!
At one time there was a site for Historic Bridges of Virginia that had one listed in Loudoun County built by VIW. From previous searches on this and another site I assumed it was gone. I was apparently thrown off by the date which is incorrect, as this span was likely built around 1890.
Hopefully this span is still an extant example of the firm's work.
I would like to note that this 1856 masonry arch bridge is not eligible for the NRHP. The fact that it survived the civil war should make it eligible in my opinion.
I was looking at the pictures the contractor sent me and I just noticed that this idiot driving the over height truck made it across the entire bridge and hit every portal on both trusses. It was so obvious i didn't notice until now. You can see it in the google street view too. I have attached a few photos so the stupidity can live on forever.
This bridge is also doomed. The project has already been awarded and demolition is scheduled to being in March. I'm not sure on the specifics of the demolition or if part of the bridge will remain and just the trusses removed but I should have more info this week.
This bridge has nominated to the National Register of Historic Places: http://www.examiner.com/outdoor-recreation-in-washington-dc/wolf-creek-bridge-nominated-for-national-register-of-historic-places
Currently being replaced.
This bridge has been replaced with a new concrete bridge.
I think that I have found this bridge and added the map location. This is the only place that shows State Route 660 passing underneath a railroad in the area, and the bridge type and dimensions match those shown in the information.
I have yet to find the bridge. I used to go to Collage in C-burg, although it was 20 years ago. The placement on the map shows nothing even close. However -- the Montgomery Tunnel is not far away from this location.
yeah......I'm just picky........lol......and prefer it mounted on a post about 100 feet or so away!
This sign isn't that bad. They seem to have gone out of their way to provide poles to mount the clearance sign above the builder plaque. Normal practice is to mount the clearance sign right on top of the plaque so nobody can read it. At least that's how its done in Pennsylvania.
Nice bridge!
We need to add this one to the "I've got a better place for you to stick your sign!" category.
And interesting to note... from the time between the HAER photos and the ones Matthew took, the bridge shrunk 2 feet!
Given the satisfactory condition listed for the superstructure, why don't they just take the current trusses and widen them with longer floor beams..... Not my favorite thing to see happen to a historic bridge, but it sure beats throwing it in the dumpster!
our bridges use to be 10 tons now it 3 tons the bridges was built in 1912 over one hundred people a day travel across these bridges they are not very safe don't you thank it's about time for new ones .
The Hardware River Bridge is not located on Route 6. The Bridge pictured is NOT the Hardware River Bridge.
The Historical bridge is replaced by a structually sound bridge dedicated September 2, 2010. To find the bridge you will need to turn off of Route 6 on to Route 646 Hardware Rd. The hardware Rd will lead you to the Hardware river and the James River. A State park is located there as well as a boat ramp to the James. A great place to fish and float the rivers.
I hope there is a bill for the repair sent to the idiot who hit the bridge.
Wonderful job on this site! I was wondering how long is that Waqua Creek & where does it begin & end?
Thank you for your time & effots.
This is a duplicate listing See this page: http://www.bridgehunter.com/va/williamsburg-city/22331P/
This is an interesting pair of bridges. There are additional similar but smaller bridges elsewhere over this parkway.
With pinned connections and laced endposts, the date given for this bridge is certainly wrong. I'm guessing it was moved here in 1932.
I worked with the people trying to save this bridge, lead by the Russell County Historic Society.
Initially, VDOT was going to demolish this bridge after the new bridge was opened to traffic. They claimed it was not National Register Eligible and they claimed it was a common bridge type. They also suggested that if for some reason it got flooded out, the historic bridge could crash into and damage the new bridge (unlikely as that might be).
Virginia actually has a low truss bridge population. Using NBI data I composed some statistics about how many truss bridges are in Virginia and also how it compared to other states. I shared this information on HistoricBridges.org and with VDOT.
VDOT responded positively to interaction from everyone's efforts. VDOT agreed to halt plans to demolish the bridge until November 2010, to give the county time to apply for a Transportation Enhancement Grant to preserve the bridge. VDOT actually did a stop work order to prevent the contractors from demolishing the bridge. The timing of all this was right down to the wire!
Not sure what the latest status of the grant is. So, the bridge is not yet "safe" however, until we confirm the grant has been awarded.
I have additional information, history, and photos for this bridge: http://www.historicbridges.org/virginia/blackford/
VDOT has a so-so commitment to preservation. I do not know of a lot of preservation work there, and they do give the appearance of being against historic bridges at the outset, but as this bridge shows, they are at least willing to work with preservationists if enough fuss is made. So they are not as bad as some states (we all know which ones those are).
Interestingly, the bridge is barricaded with no trespassing signs. Could this be somehow indicative of its future? I am not familiar with Virginia's record on historic bridge preservation.
This bridge is actually a Pony Truss
The bridge is open and in daily use. If it was closed on 5 December, it was only temporary.
More info at this link: http://www.americantrails.org/resources/railtrails/HighBridgeVA08.html
Nice bridge with verticals, top chord and end posts all being Phoenix Columns. I'm guessing the 1948 date is the date it was installed on the roadway, but even the 1903 date would be incorrect. This bridge would date to ca. 1880.
This bridge was installed in 1903 when the Norfolk and Western railway branch line was built to Cripple Creek. The bridge is a Phoenix Bridge Company Pratt Truss with Phoenix columns. The Norfolk and Western railway was pulled out in 1938. The bridge was turned over to the Virginia department of highways. The bridge has had some work done in the last few years and does not have a weight limit posted.
This bridge is constantly being repaired. I worked on this bridge over fifteen years ago and repaired several beams some of which had holes bigger than your head. It is on schedule to be replaced within the next two years.
This bridge is currently closed for repairs.
As of 12/5/2009 this bridge is currently being replaced. It is scheduled to open late this year.
I was in the South Boston area in the summer of 2004 when VDOT came very close to demolishing this bridge. I went for a drive one Sunday afternoon looking for the Clarkton Bridge and when I found it there was a gathering of supporters to save the bridge. I took many pictures and followed the newspapers for months to see what happened to the bridge. I'm glad to know it is still standing and I hope I can visit it again someday.
This bridge is gone. There is no bridge right now, but I'm sure some boring concrete piece of crap is on its way.
It was built by the Roanoke Iron and Bridge Works.
Sorry J.R.
I looked for the special Pink setting on my digital camera....but the closest thing I could find was Sepia.
You two jokers better post some pink pics of your own if we're all going to be purposeful pontists prolifically posting purportedly "pink" pics. :p~
HAHAHA........And he thought he would live that one down!
Or in your case there for awhile J.R. purposeful pontists prolifically posting "pink" pics . I'm sorry I just couldn't help myself.
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