Sparks Ferry Bridge
Videos
Abandoned Bridges of Indiana # 4 Mike Daffron | |
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac6qDXmZVs0 | Sparks Ferry Phantom Bridge Here's a link to a video I recently did on the Sparks Ferry Phantom Bridge. |
Facts
- Overview
- Two-span through truss bridge over East Fork White River on Sparks Ferry Road
- Location
- Jackson County, Indiana, and Washington County, Indiana
- Status
- Open to pedestrians only
- History
- Built ca. 1890; closed to traffic 2006
- Builder
- - Youngstown Bridge Co. of Youngstown, Ohio
- Design
- 2X10-panel, pinned Pratt through truss
4-panel, pinned Pratt pony - Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 175.8 ft.
Total length: 424.7 ft.
Deck width: 15.4 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 27.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Sparksville Bridge
Former County Bridge #203 - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +38.77761, -86.22728 (decimal degrees)
38°46'39" N, 86°13'38" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/567120/4292381 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Medora
- Inventory numbers
- INNBI 3600137 (Indiana bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 16354 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- June 10, 2021: New photo from Jenise Stewart
- April 20, 2021: New video from Satolli Glassmeyer
- September 14, 2019: New video from Mike Daffron
- October 14, 2017: New photos from Mike Daffron
- July 2, 2017: Updated by Christopher Finigan: Added category "Pin-connected"
- June 30, 2017: New Street View added by Dana and Kay Klein
- June 15, 2013: New photo from Tim Wray
- May 18, 2013: New photos from Tim Wray
- January 9, 2012: New photo from Nick
- December 20, 2011: New photos from J.P.
- April 5, 2010: New photos from James McCray
- March 29, 2010: New photos from J.P.
- March 17, 2010: New photo from Anthony Dillon
- June 10, 2009: New photo from Anthony Dillon
- April 1, 2009: New photo from Anthony Dillon
- March 20, 2009: Updated by Joshua Collins
- October 31, 2008: Updated by Robert Stephenson: Name
- June 24, 2008: Updated by Anthony Dillon: Builder
- October 2, 2006: Posted photos from Joshua Collins
Sources
- Joshua Collins - Bigjc1979 [at] aol [dot] com
- Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
- Robert Stephenson - seinfeld99 [at] yahoo [dot] com
- J.P. - wildcatjon2000 [at] gmail [dot] com
- James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Nick
- Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
- Tim Wray - tim [at] backwoodrealm [dot] com
- Mike Daffron - daffmikron [at] gmail [dot] com
- Dana and Kay Klein
- Satolli Glassmeyer - info [at] scenicroadrallies [dot] com
Comments
Good to know they replaced the ones that were missing when I was there a couple years ago.
Took a walk over this bridge a couple of days ago...all the planks are still there presently. A beautiful old bridge.
Good to hear that the floorboards were repaired. With a new bridge downstream, this span will likely never be reopened for traffic. Hopefully we can get it restored for improved pedestrian use.
I am pleased to announce someone has repaired the planks and I walked across today in total safety. The bridge itself is in deteriorating shape however and continues to be closed to vehicles.
Unfortunately those nice new floor planks seem to have grown legs!......They just keep walking away!
Visited this bridge today, sadly the deck is coming apart.
It seems like ages since I last posted about the Sparks Ferry bridge but hopefully it's being maintained & kept on the up & up so that it's safe for pedestrians to walk across or simply to check out.
I saw this bridge today..11/28/06 it is closed to vehicle traffic but is open to foot traffic.really cool bridge...not many of these left around.
Bummer...hopefully it's preserved so people can still check it out. Just wondering if it is or not.
The bridge just closed in the last couple of weeks. New bridge is open about 1/4 mile away.
Someone finally got a pic of the Sparksville bridge & from what I've seen this is one of the most significant bridges not only in all of Jackson County (besides the Medora covered bridge) but also the whole state of Indiana. The most you can get on this puppy is 3 tons (FYI: check out the pic closely for further confirmation) but hey, it's a pretty nice bridge to check out nonetheless.
Just a few miles over, near Fort Ritner, is another through truss bridge over the East Fork of the White River; I don't know if it's still open or not, I could be wrong. But that, & the Sparksville bridge, are pretty much a big deal when it comes to historic through truss bridges in the Hoosier State, or at least southern Indiana.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/in/jackson/sparks/
Rode the bikes down with my brothers and took a stroll across this one today...one of my favorites. All the planks are there still, and several more appear to have been replaced since my last visit about a year ago. Someone has tried to drive over the concrete road blocks on the south (Washington Co.) side of the bridge.