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Cobban Bridge

Chippewa County, Wisconsin
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Photos 

Long View Of Bridge, Looking South

Photo taken by Martin Stupich, June 25, 1987 for HAER

View photos at Library of Congress

Map 

Street Views 

Significance of the Cobban Bridge 

Written by Diane Kromm, Wisconsin Historic Bridges Recording Project, Summmer 1987

The Modern Steel Structures Company of Waukesha constructed the Yellow River Bridge across the Chippewa River in 1908. The firm, incorporated in 1900, developed the most modern and complete steel structural plant in the West. Between 1916 and 1918, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Power & Light Company built a hydroelectric dam four miles downstream from the bridge, putting the site under water. The townships of Eagle Point and Arthur arranged to have the 486-foot span dismantled and re-erected 15 miles upstream near the village of Cobban. The Cast Stone Construction Company, in Eau Claire, installed the new concrete substructure. Crombley and Thailacker, a Milwaukee bridge-building firm, apparently erected the steel work. The Yellow River Bridge is the oldest of four Pennsylvania truss bridges remaining in Wisconsin.

View Uglybridges.com report

Facts 

Overview
Pennsylvania through truss bridge over Chippewa River on CTH T
Location
Cobban, Chippewa County, Wisconsin
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built in 1908; Moved 15 miles upriver to avoid inundation, 1918-19; rehabilitated 1995
Builder
- Modern Steel Structures Co.
Design
Two span, pin-connected Pennsylvania steel overhead truss. The two spans are identical.

NOTE: With the destruction of the remaining Pennsylvania truss bridges in Wisconsin, these spans are the last surviving Pennsylvania truss spans in the state.

Dimensions
Length of largest span: 241.2 ft.
Total length: 486.5 ft.
Deck width: 16.0 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 12.3 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called
Yellow River Bridge
Chippewa River Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+45.10707, -91.20855   (decimal degrees)
45°06'25" N, 91°12'31" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/640930/4996405 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Crescent UTM 15.640910.4996170
Inventory number
BH 34696 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 10/2010)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 31.1 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2009)
160

Categories 

Built 1908 (421)
Built during 1900s (4,246)
Chippewa County, Wisconsin (23)
Cobban, Wisconsin (1)
Have street view (9,891)
Modern Steel Structures Co. (1)
NR-eligible (3,749)
One-lane traffic (7,111)
Open (28,310)
 Owned by county (16,488)
Pennsylvania truss (308)
Span length 175-250 feet (1,483)
Structurally deficient (16,677)
Through truss (9,205)
Total length 250-500 feet (3,371)
Truss (23,568)
Wisconsin (804)
Wooden deck (5,398)

Update Log 

  • October 9, 2011: New photos from Steve Conro
  • September 3, 2010: New Street View added by Matthew Lohry
  • August 4, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
  • August 3, 2008: Essay added by James Baughn
  • August 3, 2008: Essay added by J.R. Manning

Sources 

  • James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
  • James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
  • James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
  • J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
  • Chippewa County Tourism Site - The Cobban Bridge is the subject of this page, it sheds more light on the last Pennsylvania Truss bridge in Wisconsin.
  • Matt Lohry
  • Steve Conro - sconro [at] yahoo [dot] com

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