Overview
There are two Pony Truss bridges on John Pectol Road. The other bridge is about a mile and a half east of this bridge. This bridge is a "Bedstead" Pony truss.
Photo taken by James McCray
BH Photo #111170
Contracted issued last week for removal and replacement. Sad to see the historic bridge go but it's time was here. She was dangerous and a traffic impediment.
I read in the Historic Bridge report for 2011 that Borden has an interest in this bridge for a community park, curious if anyone else has heard anything. Its status is still pending on the marketing sight.
http://www.in.gov/indot/files/Historic_Bridge_PA_Annual_Repo...
Bridge did not seem too bad off as of yet. there is a lot of rust packs, and spots where rust has eaten through the truss. I figured it would be good to get up there and get some last shots before the bridge is removed, so i went a little photo crazy.
It is indeed a Warren bedstead that has it's legs buried in concrete.
This does not look like a bedstead to me. Or are the legs encased in concrete?
Sad news for bridge lovers... The bridge will be replaced later this year with a completion date set in 2013. At least we were spared a couple extra years as this bridge was originally to have been replaced by 2008.
http://newsandtribune.com/local/x915980518/Floyd-County-prep...
An article in the Louisville Courier Journal (Feb. 2011) said the bridge will be replaced in 2012 by designs for a ''concrete bridge with steel beams in the roadbed or with upright trusses similar to the existing ones''. The article did not state what would be the fate of the old John Pectol Bridge. Presently, it is closed with a pile of gravel on both ends but I witnessed cars bypassing the gravel and driving over the bridge.
Information on this bridge was obtained from "Floyd County: Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Inventory, Interim Report, 2nd edition, 2008" compiled by the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaelogy (ISBN 1-889235-29-6}, available at New Albany - Floyd County Library in New Albany.
I went to check on the status of the bridge yesterday with a friend, and it now can be confirmed that the bridge has been removed. I've included photos for confirmation below. The last photo is the sign from the county about the pending status of the bridge, which was seemingly just thrown on to the bank of the creek during the removal. Classy.