Rating:
No votes cast

Coal Creek Bridge

Osage County, Kansas

Photos 

All gone....bummer - cool abutments

Photo taken by Nick Schmiedeler in December 2016

Enlarge

BH Photo #373636

Map 

Street View 

Facts 

Overview
Through truss bridge over Coal Creek, 5.0 mi. south and 4.9 mi. east of Reading
Location
Osage County, Kansas
Status
Removed but not replaced
Design
Through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 44.9 ft.
Total length: 45.9 ft.
Deck width: 14.1 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+38.44841, -95.85900   (decimal degrees)
38°26'54" N, 95°51'32" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/250499/4259441 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Lebo
Average daily traffic (as of 2010)
20
Inventory numbers
KS 000700977905140 (Kansas local bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 18325 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of October 2012)
Sufficiency rating: 16.8 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

Have street view (28,916)
Kansas (3,269)
Lost (28,529)
Lost during 2010s (3,603)
One-lane traffic (7,837)
Osage County, Kansas (74)
 Owned by county (21,612)
Span length 25-50 feet (16,225)
Through truss (16,816)
Total length 25-50 feet (11,507)
Truss (35,500)
Wooden deck (6,162)

Update Log 

  • July 14, 2019: Updated by Aaron Hall: Changed to "Lost"
  • December 23, 2016: New photos from Nick Schmiedeler
  • April 15, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Adjusted GPS Coordinates for this apparently extant bridge.
  • March 8, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Added Street View link - consensus suggests there is a through truss hiding in the trees at this location.
  • January 15, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Edited Name, Overview and Crosses. Bridges spans Coal Creek, not Cole Creek.

Sources 

  • Robert Elder - robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Aaron Hall - ahall [at] vitaphone [dot] net
  • Nick Schmiedeler - nick [at] nickschmiedeler [dot] com
Post a comment here

Comments 

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted December 23, 2016, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Nick:

Thanks for checking on this one. I have also trekked down dirt road just to find out that the bridge I was looking for was gone.

Whatever this was, it sure has some nice stone abutments.

Robert

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted December 23, 2016, by Nick Schmiedeler

Visited today....soooooo disappointed to find this one gone. Bet it was cool.

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted April 15, 2010, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Thus far, I have not been able to find a KSHS page for this bridge.

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted January 16, 2010, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Reply to James:

That makes sense. The dimensions and lack of vertical clearance would make one think that this was a pony, which is why I was quite surprised to see the Street View image recently.

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted January 16, 2010, by Tom (thomas [dot] hall [at] ffni [dot] com)

Yes Tony, something terrible.

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2010, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Itchin' to get your motorcycle out.... aren't you Tom????

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2010, by James Baughn (webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com)

The NBI doesn't differentiate between pony and through trusses. Everything is listed as "Truss - Thru." I always assume that if a bridge has an unlimited vertical clearance and a small span, then it must be a pony truss. Sometimes, though, the NBI dimensions are completely wrong, which might be the case here.

Coal Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2010, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!...........

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2010, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

I have changed this bridge from a pony truss to a through truss based on Google Earth Street View and our general consensus that we are seeing a through span here.

Because I don't live in Kansas anymore (cue the required Wizard of Oz line), it might be a while before I can get back to the area for vacation/bridgehunting and verify the design.

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 15, 2010, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Looks like we are in agreement - I just wanted to make sure that I was not seeing tree trunks or something odd. I would not want to fail the bridgehunting equivalent of a Rorschach Test.

This would not be the first time that a through truss has been listed as a pony or vice-versa from NBI or other sources. The 45 foot span would seem rather odd for a through truss, but this could be off as well.

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 14, 2010, by Nathan Holth (form3 [at] historicbridges [dot] org)

My Historic Bridges Magic 8 Ball Says... Its a through truss!

This may be too far-fetched, but I wonder if the bridge and roadway has recently been abandoned by the county and some private landowner removed any road closed/bridge out signage and is using the bridge. Of course then you would expect to see a private property sign.

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 14, 2010, by Tom (thomas [dot] hall [at] ffni [dot] com)

I just went back to street view and noticed something, does this look like a pony truss to anyone else? What I'm seeing looks like a through truss.

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 14, 2010, by Tom (Thomas [dot] hall [at] ffni [dot] com)

Yep, it's either a bridge or a big square frame like thing.

I wonder how long ago the street view pictures were taken, because this bridge is listed as closed and from what I can see it doesn't look closed. No barricades or signs posted. Looks like the only way we're going to know for sure is one of us has to go to Kansas.

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 14, 2010, by Anthony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

I think you are right Robert.....looks like it to me as well.

Street view is pretty amazing!

Cole Creek Bridge
Posted January 14, 2010, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

I just looked towards this bridge from Hoch Road on Google Earth Street View. It appears to me that there might be a through truss at this location.