Rating:
7 votes

Burton Lane Bridge

Morgan County, Indiana

Photos 

This is a large pony truss that has been altered with overhead bracing.

Photo taken by Anthony Dillon

Enlarge

BH Photo #136145

Map 

Facts 

Overview
Bowstring arch bridge over Indian Creek on Burton Lane, in storage after being damaged by truck.
Location
Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana
Status
Replaced by new bridge, but parts in storage
History
Built 1875 by the Massillon Bridge Co.; replaced 1998; parts currently in storage.
Builder
- Massillon Bridge Co. of Massillon, Ohio
Design
Bowstring Pony truss with added overhead bracing.
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 97.1 ft.
Total length: 107.9 ft.
Deck width: 15.4 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 11.6 ft.
Also called
Sheerer Bridge (Historic Name)
Bruce Ford Bridge
Morgan County Bridge #42
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.40000, -86.43712   (decimal degrees)
39°23'60" N, 86°26'14" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/548465/4361317 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Martinsville
Average daily traffic (as of 2018)
1,350
Inventory numbers
INNBI 5500035 (Indiana bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 39497 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of August 2018)
Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Very Good (8 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 81.3 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

19th Century (9,195)
Bowstring pony truss (362)
Bowstring truss (711)
Built 1875 (131)
Built during 1870s (1,423)
In storage (228)
Indiana (5,216)
Lost 1998 (445)
Lost during 1990s (4,194)
 Martinsville, Indiana (1)
Massillon Bridge Co. (166)
Morgan County, Indiana (74)
Pony truss (17,327)
Span length 75-100 feet (6,747)
Total length 100-125 feet (5,534)
Truss (37,205)
Wrought Iron (470)

Update Log 

  • October 14, 2021: Updated by Art Suckewer: adjusted pin location to old alignment of road
  • August 26, 2018: New photo from Mike Daffron
  • April 19, 2018: New photo from Mike Daffron
  • December 28, 2016: Updated by Mike Daffron: added bridge number and photos
  • July 27, 2010: Updated by Anthony Dillon: Added historic name
  • March 28, 2009: Updated by Anthony Dillon
  • February 8, 2009: Added by James Baughn

Sources 

  • Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Mike Daffron - daffmikron [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Art Suckewer - Asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com
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Comments 

Burton Lane Bridge
Posted December 2, 2012, by Tony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

The bridge was originally just a long pony truss and the overhead bracing was added later...possibly when the bridge was relocated here.

Burton Lane Bridge
Posted December 2, 2012, by Anonymous

Was the overhead bracing part of the original design, or an afterthought?

Burton Lane Bridge
Posted June 22, 2010, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Lester

This is the bridge that you were referring to in Martinsville. As Nathan stated, it is not from a ferris wheel but is indeed a patented design from the Massillon Bridge Company. This bridge actually does still exist and the parts are in storage. Hopefully, someday soon the opportunity will present itself for this wonderful span to be reconstructed. If you know of any trail projects in the martinsville area, this bridge would be great to use for that purpose.