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Hobbs Bridge

Lincoln County, Tennessee

Photos 

Overview

This bridge is preserved but with deck and approaches removed.

Photo taken by James McCray

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BH Photo #111609

Map 

Description 

Technical name is a pin-connected Baltimore Petit through truss, built with 2 pin-connected Pratt half-hip pony trusses on either end (both removed in 1987). The top chords and end posts are channels with lacing. The verticals are small channels with lacing, except the hip verticals and the half verticals from the midpoiint to the bottom chord that are paired with rectilinear eyerods. The bottom floor beams are "V" chevron-shaped, common in early bridges but phased out by the 1890's. This may have been one of the last vehicular Baltimore Petit's, with the chevron-shaped floor beams, rendering it historic indeed. The original masonry abutments were later repaired and strengthened with concrete. The historical marker is incorrect; although this is the only vehicular Baltimore (Petit) truss bridge in Tennessee, one other Baltimore truss bridge is still in use in Cocke County on the Norfolk-Southern Railroad crossing the French Broad River. Those are the only two Baltimore (Petit) through truss bridges in Tennessee.

Facts 

Overview
Baltimore through truss bridge over Elk River on J.D. Suggs Road
Location
Lincoln County, Tennessee
Status
Derelict/abandoned
History
Built 1891. Bridge closed to traffic. Deck and approaches removed in 1987.
Design
Pin-connected Baltimore Petit through truss with two pin-connected Pratt half-hip pony truss approach spans
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 304.0 ft.
Total length: 408.5 ft.
Deck width: 12.6 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 14.0 ft.
Approximate latitude, longitude
+35.09915, -86.74265   (decimal degrees)
35°05'57" N, 86°44'34" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/523455/3884068 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Taft
Elevation
624 ft. above sea level
Inventory number
BH 36241 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (7,707)
Abandoned (3,748)
Baltimore through truss (323)
Baltimore truss (353)
Built 1891 (228)
Built during 1890s (3,021)
Half-hip Pratt pony truss (508)
Lincoln County, Tennessee (18)
Owned by county (20,987)
 Pony truss (16,364)
Pratt pony truss (3,689)
Pratt truss (9,452)
Preserved (1,206)
Span length 250-500 feet (1,199)
Tennessee (1,228)
Through truss (15,365)
Total length 250-500 feet (5,292)
Truss (33,276)

Update Log 

  • April 4, 2013: New photos from Johnny C Barrett
  • March 31, 2013: New photos from Johnny C Barrett
  • September 17, 2011: New photos from James McCray
  • June 16, 2011: Updated by Calvin Sneed: Added specifications and historical perspective.. may be the only vehicular Baltimore Petit through truss still standing in Tennessee
  • June 13, 2011: New photos from Calvin Sneed
  • September 27, 2008: New photos from James McCray
  • July 14, 2008: Updated by James McCray: Updated gps coordinates
  • February 8, 2008: Added by James McCray

Sources 

  • James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • HAER TN-23 - Hobbs Bridge, Spanning Elk River on Curtis Road (A494), Coldwater vicinity, Lincoln County, TN
  • Calvin Sneed - us43137415 [at] yahoo [dot] com
  • Johnny C Barrett - jcarsonbarrett [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
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Comments 

Hobbs Bridge
Posted June 24, 2014, by ArtS (asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Picture and history of the bridge:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/caving/13218526434