Rating:
89461
{95}%
2 votes
Blackberry Creek Frankenbridge
Photos
Photo taken by Tyler
Enlarge
BH Photo #472930
Description
Bridge appears to be built from parts of an older pin-connected truss bridge. Former end posts with pins reused as towers and various other beams make up the stiffening girders and anchors. Newer connections are bolted or welded. It is possible this could be from a rail bridge at this location or nearby. Inland Steel marks on older beams. Very bouncy when crossed and has a large sag.
Facts
- Overview
- Wire suspension bridge over Blackberry Creek on Virgil Gilman Trail (rail-trail)
- Location
- Aurora, Kane County, Illinois
- Status
- Open to pedestrians only
- History
- Built using older bridge parts. Date unknown and history of earlier bridge unknown.
- Design
- Hybrid Wire/cable suspension
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +41.76045, -88.38816 (decimal degrees)
41°45'38" N, 88°23'17" W (degrees°minutes'seconds")
- Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/384604/4624110 (zone/easting/northing)
- Inventory number
- BH 89461 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- July 16, 2020: Updated by Tyler: Added category "Mystery"
- May 28, 2020: New photos from Tyler
The following is an exerpt from a 1998 newspaper article
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-09-06-980905...
about the history of the islands in the Fox River around Aurora:
===
Let's go north to South Island, which was purchased by the park district in the 1940s. A suspension foot bridge used to stretch from the shore to the residence of that island.
"Many of the homes (on the river's islands) were fishing cottages, they were never permanent year-round homes," said Donnell.
The suspension bridge has been moved to Blackberry Creek on the Virgil Gilman Trail, and the park district built its own bridge to South Island and ran a bike trail down the length of it.
===