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Tipers Bridge

Northumberland County, Virginia

Photos 

Great Wicomico River Bridge

Replaced

Photo taken by Douglas Butler in April 2013

Enlarge

BH Photo #283959

Map 

Description 

Built in six months during the depth of the Depression, the Tipers Bridge is a well preserved example of a once standard bridge type that was commonly used to economically span a large number of major river crossings in the Virginia Tidewater. It is located at a crossing that has a long history of some economic importance in Northumberland and Lancaster Counties. This is the second oldest of ten remaining swing-spans dating from between 1930 and 1957 currently listed in the Virginia Department of Transportation bridge inventory.

-- Historic American Engineering Record

Facts 

Overview
Lost swing bridge over Great Wicomico River on VA-200
Location
Northumberland County, Virginia
Status
Replaced by a new bridge
History
Built 1934; rehabilitated 1974; Replaced 1994
Builder
- Virginia Bridge & Iron Co. of Roanoke, Virginia (fabricator) [also known as Virginia Bridge Co.]
Design
Through truss
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 130.9 ft.
Total length: 1,315.0 ft.
Deck width: 23.0 ft.
Also called
Great Wicomico River Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+37.84699, -76.36756   (decimal degrees)
37°50'49" N, 76°22'03" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
18/379679/4189719 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Reedville
Inventory numbers
VA 12762 (Virginia bridge number)
BH 54493 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

Built 1934 (795)
Built during 1930s (11,779)
Continuous (2,506)
Continuous truss (185)
HAER documented (1,107)
Lost (25,075)
Lost 1994 (430)
Lost during 1990s (4,006)
Movable (2,995)
Northumberland County, Virginia (1)
Owned by state (16,074)
 Replaced by new bridge (16,857)
Span length 125-175 feet (4,238)
Structurally deficient (14,091)
Swing (1,471)
Through truss (15,217)
Total length 1000-2500 feet (1,891)
Truss (33,022)
Virginia (1,238)
Virginia Bridge & Iron Co. (196)
Virginia Bridge Co. (53)
X-Frame Portal (34)

Update Log 

  • January 3, 2015: HAER photos posted by Dave King
  • May 20, 2014: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • November 16, 2012: Added by Jared Mixson

Sources 

  • Jared
  • Douglas Butler
  • HAER VA-58 - Tipers Bridge, Spanning Great Wicomico River at State Route 200, Kilmarnock, Lancaster County, VA

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