Rating:
6 votes

Elm Street Bridge

Somerset County, New Jersey

Photos 

The Elm Street lenticular truss in Neshanic Station NJ.

Photo taken by Andrew Pearce in August 2012

Enlarge

BH Photo #237666

Map 

Street View 

Description 

As far as I know, this is the only lenticular through truss in the state of New Jersey. The lenticular truss over the Ramapo up in Bergen County is a pony truss ( the Cleveland Bridge at Bear Swamp Road, http://bridgehunter.com/nj/bergen/20033A/ ).

This bridge has moderate amounts of modifications to stiffen it against side to side swaying; each vertical has a double corner brace connecting it to the top struts, and both ends of each "lens" have welded on bracing. Recent rehabilitation has also strengthened the top chord and floor beams, and put new pins in everywhere.

Essay 

Written by Andrew Pearce

This is a fairly popular bridge online. You can find quite a bit of information and many pictures of it at http://www.historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowse... and you can get many hits from Googling "Lenticular bridge neshanic station".

None of that will really give you the experience though. This great heap of bent and riveted white painted steel is impressive as all get out to those who are effected by such things. It's amazing. And it's all right at the end of your arm, as the walkway is set partway up the truss. All the pins, rods, tension adjusters, laced verticals, diagonals, turnbuckles ... it's all right in front of you. And the bridge does not get so much traffic that you feel pressured to move along. What makes it even better is the 2 span abandoned railroad bridge 50 yards away, a pin connected Pratt that is rusting and rotting away to nothing, right next to the old mill the RR once supplied. Both bridges were built at the same time.

Park at the post office a block away and walk back. You can get under the bridge though all the land is marked No Trespassing.

From here it is only a couple of miles drive to see 3 or more of the more interesting old truss bridges in Somerset County, including a Phoenix column RR bridge and ending with the Nevius Street Whipple, plus 2 or more very pretty brand new pony truss bridges.

Facts 

Overview
Lenticular through truss bridge over South Branch Raritan River on CR 667
Location
Neshanic Station, Somerset County, New Jersey
Status
Closed - damaged by flooding
History
Built 1896; rehabilitated 1984
Builder
- Berlin Iron Bridge Co. of East Berlin, Connecticut
Design
Lenticular through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 141.1 ft.
Total length: 285.1 ft.
Deck width: 13.1 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 14.6 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Also called
South Branch Raritan River Bridge
Neshanic Station Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+40.50917, -74.72750   (decimal degrees)
40°30'33" N, 74°43'39" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/523086/4484307 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Raritan
Average daily traffic (as of 2017)
1,715
Inventory numbers
NJ 18C0601 (New Jersey bridge number)
BH 25540 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of August 2017)
Overall condition: Good
Superstructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 47.7 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

19th Century (9,628)
Berlin Iron Bridge Co. (203)
Built 1896 (306)
Built during 1890s (3,386)
Closed (2,796)
Corrugated deck (488)
Have street view (30,397)
Lenticular through truss (96)
Lenticular truss (200)
NR-eligible (4,127)
Neshanic Station, New Jersey (3)
 New Jersey (1,760)
One-lane traffic (8,122)
Owned by county (21,997)
Painted white (5)
Pin-connected (5,423)
Somerset County, New Jersey (148)
Span length 125-175 feet (4,598)
Through truss (19,026)
Total length 250-500 feet (5,719)
Truss (38,306)

Update Log 

  • October 22, 2021: Updated by Art Suckewer: changed status (hopefully temporarily)
  • March 10, 2021: New photos from Geoff Hubbs
  • May 16, 2020: New photos from Patrick Gurwell
  • November 2, 2018: New photo from Art Suckewer
  • July 22, 2016: New photo from Art Suckewer
  • April 29, 2016: New photo from Art Suckewer
  • August 16, 2012: Essay added by Andrew Pearce
  • January 19, 2012: New Street View added by K. A. Erickson

Sources 

  • K. A. Erickson
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
  • Art Suckewer - Asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com
  • Patrick Gurwell - pgurwell [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Geoff Hubbs
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Comments 

Elm Street Bridge
Posted August 9, 2021, by Art S. (Asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Interesting.

I don't think I double counted but if bridgehunter is correct regarding listings and status, there are still 60 Lenticular trusses in existence (in varying conditions) in the US. That was actually a pleasant surprise.

That said, more than half are at risk.

Regards,

Art S.

Elm Street Bridge
Posted June 3, 2014, by ArtS (asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Nice barrel shot from Flickr. I'm really starting to like white bridges.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jag9889/11121599756/

Elm Street Bridge
Posted December 31, 2013, by ArtS (asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Oh, by the way, the RR bridge is mentioned in the text above and is in the foreground of the picture but does not seem to have it's own listing. It's quite impressive in it's own right.

Elm Street Bridge
Posted December 31, 2013, by ArtS (Asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Posting here in order to avoid a reference loop on Nathan's site. :^)

http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2013/12/glimpse_of_hist...