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Frankenstein bridges

Started by NE2, February 08, 2015, 12:06:04 AM

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NE2



This is on old US 71 north of Mena. Could it have been replaced by the county using whatever they could acquire? Or is there an actual reason to build a bridge this way?
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".


bugo

That bridge is simply a pony truss with concrete approach spans. I know it well as I grew up in Mena.

Here's a pic of the other end. Note the concrete on the right side of the bridge.


SteveG1988

For some reason i think it used to be two pony truss spans, and one was removed.
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

Jardine

After WWII (and with the Korean conflict too) materials were in short supply, and if a county had to take out a bridge somewhere, it wouldn't neccessarily go to the scrap yard.  Many were repurposed to other sites, like on a busy county gravel somewhere.  A state highway bridge, even if functionally obsolete, could still provide useful service elsewhere, on a secondary road for instance. Or a short highway bridge might become an approach span for a larger bridge elsewhere

I recall my dad buying a bridge the county replaced with a 9' culvert.  We used it for many years, reassembled on our farm.  It was cheap, too, the 7 I-beams costing less than $300.  We have since replaced the bridge with a tube, and some of the beams are now built into a small bridge in a nearby park. 

Even railroads do this.  The original 1880s 330' spans of the C&NW span over the Missouri River at Blair weren't scrapped in the 20s, they were disassembled and moved to Wyoming.  IIRC, they were rebuilt shorter, so the weight limitations that made them obsolete at Blair weren't a problem at their new location.  Recall re-building a bridge at half it's original length can increase it's load capacity by more than double.

NE2

Quote from: Jardine on February 08, 2015, 02:50:09 PM
A state highway bridge, even if functionally obsolete, could still provide useful service elsewhere, on a secondary road for instance.
There are many examples of this in the old Arkansas minute orders (it stopped, at least temporarily, when the state system was expanded in 1963).

Quote[July 1963]
5141   WHEREAS, by Minute Order No. 4063, dated April 4, 1961,
the Commission established a policy for the disposition of old steel   bridges that are being replaced with modern design bridges, and,
  WHEREAS, this policy provided that under certain criteria the   County Judge in the County in which the structure is located would be   given the option of utilizing such old structure, and,
  WHEREAS, the State Highway Commission has recently added   to the State Highway System approximately 800 miles of County roads   on which are many unsafe, dilapidated bridges in need of immediate   repair, in order to carry traffic, bridge steel salvaged from these old   bridges would be of great benefit to the State Highway Department in   the repair and reconstruction ofsecondary bridges and culverts,
  THEREFORE, it is the order of the State Highway Commission   that all salvaged steel from old bridges remain the property of the   Highway Department for exclusive use on the State Highway System.
  Any provisions of Minute Order No. 4063 contrary to this   order are hereby rescinded.

I was wondering if this bridge was such a case. But the bridge on the new alignment was built in 1965, so unless they resumed the program the old alignment would have been a state bridge while the program was in operation.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

bugo

Steve Gum: The concrete spans are definitely original because there's a bridge just east of this one over a relief of the Ouachita River that has the exact same style of railing that appears to be exactly the same age.

NE2

Isn't it possible that the pony truss span was placed at this spot later, replacing another original span with concrete railings?
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

Mapmikey

#7
Virginia built lots of bridges like this in the 1920s-30s...


Here are both ends of the now-destroyed VA 94 bridge over the New River built in 1927:





1924 bridge used by VA 10 and later US 11 near Elliston:



US 15's former bridge over the Rivanna River built in 1931:




Here's one where the truss isn't parallel to the bridge deck for some reason.  US 340 over Flint Run:



Virginia did take late 19th century and early 20th century bridges and move them around to other locations but I don't recall ever seeing anything to suggest they were removing truss segments and replacing with concrete railing.  Virginia also stopped using metal date plates for a few years around WW2 and carved the dates instead for I assume metal conservation reasons.

Mapmikey

bugo

Quote from: NE2 on February 08, 2015, 05:09:33 PM
Isn't it possible that the pony truss span was placed at this spot later, replacing another original span with concrete railings?

I guess it's possible but I've never heard of anybody doing that to this bridge. Since the truss is longer than the concrete spans it it has been modified then a pier would have been removed. Next time I'm down that way I'll check to see if there are any remnants of a removed pier in the river.

NE2

Ah, the distance between piers explains it. No need to check.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

Pete from Boston

Not a road bridge, but the former New Haven Railroad bridge in Montague, Mass.:


One Whipple truss survived the wooden Montague City Covered Bridge coming off its moorings in the 1936 flood, floating downstream, and knocking the other two trusses into the Connecticut River.  The two Warren trusses were built to recomplete the bridge.

Alps

Eastbound, covered bridge. Westbound, stone (though relatively new).
http://goo.gl/maps/voEyq

bugo

I saw a picture of a covered bridge with a single steel through truss span at one end.

Caboosey

Bello Street Bridge (Old Hwy 101 and Old Hwy 1) in Pismo Beach, California. I have walked on it and some parts of it is ready to fall apart.

Built in 1913. Scheduled to be demolished by City of Pismo Beach in the future.

Google Streetview photos I took (high-resolution):
https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/110442825296262102991/gphoto/6038210593649359250?gl=us&heading=333&pitch=90&fovy=75

Bridgehunter link:
http://bridgehunter.com/ca/san-luis-obispo/49C0109/

SteveG1988

To me this looks like one, an overpass that is also a cable stay bridge on the ends. It looks like they widened the road and just put the cable stay bits on to reuse the existing overpass.

http://bridgehunter.com/il/madison/fairmount-lane/


Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

bugo

Quote from: Caboosey on February 22, 2015, 04:07:32 PM
Bello Street Bridge (Old Hwy 101 and Old Hwy 1) in Pismo Beach, California. I have walked on it and some parts of it is ready to fall apart.

Built in 1913. Scheduled to be demolished by City of Pismo Beach in the future.

Google Streetview photos I took (high-resolution):
https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/110442825296262102991/gphoto/6038210593649359250?gl=us&heading=333&pitch=90&fovy=75

Bridgehunter link:
http://bridgehunter.com/ca/san-luis-obispo/49C0109/

Why can't they rehabilitate it for use as a pedestrian bridge? I don't see any damage that isn't fixable.

Brandon

#16
Quote from: SteveG1988 on February 22, 2015, 04:20:39 PM
To me this looks like one, an overpass that is also a cable stay bridge on the ends. It looks like they widened the road and just put the cable stay bits on to reuse the existing overpass.

http://bridgehunter.com/il/madison/fairmount-lane/



Oh, that fucker.  IT was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread.  That's on I-55/70 just west of I-255.  Currently, it appears to be closed to traffic.  I have no idea why IDOT District 8 decided to do the redneck thin instead of just replacing it outright when the I-255 ramps were added under it.

From I-55/70, looking west:

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

SteveG1988

Quote from: Brandon on February 23, 2015, 12:10:24 PM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on February 22, 2015, 04:20:39 PM
To me this looks like one, an overpass that is also a cable stay bridge on the ends. It looks like they widened the road and just put the cable stay bits on to reuse the existing overpass.

http://bridgehunter.com/il/madison/fairmount-lane/



Oh, that fucker.  IT was the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread.  That's on I-55/70 just west of I-255.  Currently, it appears to be closed to traffic.  I have no idea why IDOT District 8 decided to do the redneck thin instead of just replacing it outright when the I-255 ramps were added under it.

From I-55/70, looking west:



Idot was trying to be creative for a change, versus just tearing it down and replacing it with something even less intersting.
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

Tom958

I think it was a bad idea, but I'm still glad they did it. It's awesome, in a screwed-up way.

iBallasticwolf2

"Idot was trying to be creative for a change, versus just tearing it down and replacing it with something even less intersting."


You mean IDiOT
Only two things are infinite in this world, stupidity, and I-75 construction

Brandon

Quote from: Tom958 on February 23, 2015, 02:24:22 PM
I think it was a bad idea, but I'm still glad they did it. It's awesome, in a screwed-up way.

Given the redneck nature of the bridge, I'm shocked not to see duct tape holding it together.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

SteveG1988

1920s truss on piers that date to the 1800s (not sure the exact year since the original rail span was rebuilt several times between 1806 and when these were made.)
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

Atomica

I recall having to direct traffic from MO96/Historic US66 onto a side road on account of a motorcrash between Old US66 and MO266 about seven years ago as I was coming home from a work assignment upstate.  I had to be careful where I sent heavier trucks on account of a very weak and very old one-lane 15mi/h bridge with an eight-tonne load limit.  I spent about half an hour directing traffic, mostly onto Old 66 except for heavier trucks which I sent down a lettered secondary route toward Mount Vernon, until a firefighter arrived to take over the detour tasks...That bridge is great for cars and pickups, but if you are driving something heavy, forget it.
"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."
--- Malcolm X, 1925-1965

SteveG1988

http://bridgehunter.com/ky/fayette/clays-ferry/

Interstate 75, Clay's Ferry bridge

"Built 1946 as part of US 25; twin span added 1963 as part of I-75; both spans widened in 1998 to form a single six-lane bridge"
Roads Clinched

I55,I82,I84(E&W)I88(W),I87(N),I81,I64,I74(W),I72,I57,I24,I65,I59,I12,I71,I77,I76(E&W),I70,I79,I85,I86(W),I27,I16,I97,I96,I43,I41,

busman_49




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