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ORIGINAL Interstate Bridge Designs From Every State

Started by thenetwork, November 28, 2019, 11:10:19 AM

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Tom958

#25
Alabama is all too easy: This T beam design with open concrete guardrail and an unusual thickening of the bottom of the beam was just shy of ubiquitous throughout the '60's, and is still (IMO) oppressively common today. It comes plain, too, without the thickened area. Eventually, in the early '70's, they switched to... the same thing, except plate girders instead of T beams. Oh, the open concrete guardrail got heftier, too, in the mid to late '60's.

EDIT: There are a few bridges with a two-tube metal guardrail instead of the open concrete rail. By "a few" I mean one at a time, though this morning I stumbled across a clump of three or four on I-65 between Montgomery and Birmingham. IIRC, there's exactly one on I-65 between AL 113 and Montgomery, and none on I-85.


vdeane

To me, nothing quite says "the South" like those open concrete guiderails (or as I like to call them, "Classic Southern Guiderail").  It's always been a treat to see it on my travels south.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

jeffandnicole

NJ has been quite consistent in their Interstate bridge design, with today's structures basically mirroring what was done back in the 1960's.  There's a few inconsistences, but that was true even back 70 years ago.

One of the more unique features of a small number of overpasses is the capless pier design, such as https://goo.gl/maps/T6U23PEzKaqYBE6d9 and https://goo.gl/maps/ve31QE9o3MmwenK27 .  And I-195 was built with a trapezoid pier design, unlike most everywhere else within the state ( https://goo.gl/maps/DJG6eUgefzJxAaAD7 ).  But otherwise, NJ consistently used a very basic pier and cap design, with steel or concrete I-beams, for the grand majority of their overpasses.  When a new or full replacement is required, it rarely deviates from this original design.


BrianP


Tom958

#29
Mississippi, I was pleasantly amazed to discover, used an amazing variety of bridge designs in the early years of the Interstate system. 'I-20 in Mississippi kept me thoroughly entertained," I said after my first trip through. I'm gonna catalog the early designs along I-20, west to east- - not every bridge, but every type. The other Interstates, maybe another day.

Most states had gotten away from concrete T beams by 1971, but four of these gracefully arched structures carry I-20 and its ramps just east of the 1973 Mississippi River bridge. A bit to the east, three ofthese long-span plate girder bridges, also from 1971, are used at the I-20-US 61 interchange. All of these bridges now have Jersey barrier parapets, which were likely not original equipment.

These 1960 plate girder structures with  open concrete guardrails supported by an intricate deck edge cantilever carry I-20 over eastbound old US 80. A few hundred feet east, these concrete box beams with a much cleaner open concrete guardrail design carry it over westbound old US 80. And another few hundred feet away, this plate girder design with the cleaner open concrete guardrail carries a ramp.

At the next interchange, with the northern leg of US 61, these 1961 precast beam bridges with open concrete guardrail carry the US 61 mainline. A few hundred feet east, this curving cast-in-place concrete box beam caries a ramp. The previous box beam I mentioned was supported on a bent, but this one's round columns extend directly into and are integrated with the box beam. Except for the guardrail, it's quite California-looking.

Moving east, the next bridge over I-20 is another bent-supported concrete box beam, but here the open concrete guardrail is topped by a single-tube metal rail to make it a bit less harrowing for any pedestrians who venture out upon it. It's fair to call this bent-supported box beam with open concrete guardrails a standard design of its era.

Since we're here, I must mention a pair of real unicorns: these two 1955 plate girder bridges with old skool picket-type guardrail with two horizintal concrete lintels. It's amazing that these bridges still survive when so many newer ones in nearby Vicksburg have been replaced with boring, modern AASHTO beam structures.

Starting at mile 25 or so are these 1971 Californian cast-in-place concrete box beams, supported by single columns integrated with the beams and with a painfully short single-tube metal guardrail. Also from 1971, these precast beam bridges with spindly-looking bents carry the I-20 mainline. This one still has the original, very short concrete parapet, though its companion is having its parapet replaced by something more modern. Others have more substantial-looking bent columns.

Just west of Jackson are these 1969 cast-in-place box beams. Unlike the ones I've mentioned previously, the edge cantilevers are very short, IMO making them less attractive that the others I've listed. The guardrail on these looks similar to a Jersey barrier, but not identical. I can't say that this is a standard design, but I wouldn't be surprised to find it elsewhere in the state.

This precast beam design definitely qualifies as standard, being used for most of the bridges carrying the mainline. This one's guardrail is the same short, solid concrete design we've already seen on mainline bridges, but topped here by a single-tube metal rail. A whole bunch of these were built in 1966, including for the interchange with the southern leg of I-55. This design comes in plate girder, too, including this steel straddle bent monster carrying the eastbound I-20 mainline over I-55.

Damn, this is a lot of work, and probably no one will read it. Ima skip ahead to east of Meridian, where we find the quintessential Mississippi early Interstate bridge design, c. 1961. It's a cast-in-place T beam with integrated columns and, I think, a slightly different open concrete guardrail. I'd say that this is the equal of any other state's quirky early Interstate bridge design.

Also, there's this 1960 box beam design on T-shaped columns isolated from the beams rather than integrated. I'm a sucker for T-shaped columns.

Wow, I can call myself finished now! Here's one more, though: this one is a 1966 single-column cast-in-place box beam over the highway, but with short precast spans over the adjacent creek.


MCRoads

Oklahoma:


The new bridges are almost always plate girder constructions, which i prefer over the ugly concrete bridges they built all over Oklahoma in the first days of building the interstates.

I live in Colorado now, and the only cookie-cutter type bridges i know of were recently demolished to make way for an extra lane* from CO Spgs to Denver.

*The extra lane is a toll lane, because of course it is.
I build roads on Minecraft. Like, really good roads.
Interstates traveled:
4/5/10*/11**/12**/15/25*/29*/35(E/W[TX])/40*/44**/49(LA**)/55*/64**/65/66*/70°/71*76(PA*,CO*)/78*°/80*/95°/99(PA**,NY**)

*/** indicates a terminus/termini being traveled
° Indicates a gap (I.E Breezwood, PA.)

more room plz

Tom958

#31
Indiana used two main types, both common enough that I'm not sure which outnumbers the other. There's this arched concrete T beam design. Then there's this rather ungainly design with steel plate girder main spans and cast-in-place T beam side spans. There's some variety in guardrail and bent designs, especially for the T beam bridges, and a variant of the plate girder design using voided slabs for reduced structure depth often carries the freeway roadways.

Good news for those who are watching with disdain as AASHTO beam bridges, with or without corny tacked-on decorations, gradually take over: the plate girder bridges are having their superstructures replaced while leaving the existing bents at least partly intact, as shown  here. The substitution of plate girders for the side spans actually improves the appearance while remaining true to the original look. There are alternatives in play for the guardrails, too. I am cautiously optimistic.


Tom958

#32
Missouri: This particular one on I-70 is from 1963, so they're not the original Interstate bridges we've been tasked with posting about, but here's a shoutout to these super-utilitarian voided slab bridges (bridgereports link).  The W beam guardrails tacked on the sides make them look pathetic, but this one on I-55, from 1966 has a proper guardrail and looks a lot more legit. According to a Missouri-based bridge contractor I spoke to in a Facebook group, they're being replaced with conventional bridges, which entails raising the entire roadway due to the much greater structure depth. Oddly, most of the bridges on that stretch of I-55 are conventional plate girder bridges like this one; it's not at all obvious to me why they went to a radically different design for a few of them.

EDIT: Looking for the oldest surviving original Interstate bridges in the state. Here's one on I-44 from 1955, modified in 1987.One from 1958,  now replaced. http://bridgereports.com/1293321 There's one from 1954 on I-35 north of KC, too. I guess these were of the standard early Interstate bridge type that the OP was asking for.

Oh, wow: this on on I-70 in Columbia, from 1957!


Tom958

Quote from: tolbs17 on December 25, 2019, 08:16:44 PM
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 25, 2019, 02:52:31 PM
Your typical Oklahoma example.
That looks kind of funny and it looks a little scary too. There's like no metal or concrete at the bottom, so what type of design is that bridge? I've never in my life seen bridges like those

Bridgereports and my common sense say it's a "concrete slab" bridge, probably a voided slab bridge with Sonotubes (like giant paper towel rolls) cast in the concrete to save a bit of weight. This isn't that different from the podium slabs in the apartment buildings I work on: the bridge carries cars and trucks, while the podium slabs carry several floors of wood-framed apartment buildings.

Quote(Well I did, but it's rare, I saw a few around the Balt-Wash Parkway like these)!

Like this.

That one in Maryland is likely a post-tensioned box beam, somewhat similar in appearance but much deeper, and very different structurally.

1995hoo

Virginia also has some fairly unique ones along I-395, unique mainly in guardrail design. This Street View image from Duke Street gives a good indication, though most of these have only one rail instead of the two seen here (the Edsall Road interchange just to the south uses a similar design with just one rail). Also, for the longest time the railings at these particular interchanges have generally appeared to be green rather than the rusty color seen here. The long flyover to the right used to have a similar style with one rail until it was rehabbed within the past 10 years (historic Street View lets you see the older guardrail on that ramp in the 2008 imagery if you explore the area).

https://goo.gl/maps/YdX76pfmVstETPr76

Here's an example of the green guardrails seen at Turkeycock, just to the south of the interchange seen above: https://goo.gl/maps/bcJU17i7WsWy6sRV6
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Beltway

#35
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 26, 2020, 08:34:21 AM
Virginia also has some fairly unique ones along I-395, unique mainly in guardrail design. This Street View image from Duke Street gives a good indication, though most of these have only one rail instead of the two seen here (the Edsall Road interchange just to the south uses a similar design with just one rail). Also, for the longest time the railings at these particular interchanges have generally appeared to be green rather than the rusty color seen here. The long flyover to the right used to have a similar style with one rail until it was rehabbed within the past 10 years (historic Street View lets you see the older guardrail on that ramp in the 2008 imagery if you explore the area).  https://goo.gl/maps/YdX76pfmVstETPr76
Mid-1960s design and part of the Shirley Highway reconstruction.

This was at a point when there were very few urban freeways in the state, and a wide sidewalk was needed on the bridge.  So perhaps they were still not settled on how to design the parapets.

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 26, 2020, 08:34:21 AM
Here's an example of the green guardrails seen at Turkeycock, just to the south of the interchange seen above: https://goo.gl/maps/bcJU17i7WsWy6sRV6
That is on the top of a retaining wall, not a bridge.
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Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

1995hoo

Quote from: Beltway on February 26, 2020, 09:05:50 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 26, 2020, 08:34:21 AM
Here's an example of the green guardrails seen at Turkeycock, just to the south of the interchange seen above: https://goo.gl/maps/bcJU17i7WsWy6sRV6
That is on the top of a retaining wall, not a bridge.


Correct, but the same style continues around the curve ahead over the bridge (as is easily discernable if you "drive" ahead in the Street View). I simply preferred that location as a better look at the design.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Beltway

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 26, 2020, 09:33:38 AM
Quote from: Beltway on February 26, 2020, 09:05:50 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 26, 2020, 08:34:21 AM
Here's an example of the green guardrails seen at Turkeycock, just to the south of the interchange seen above: https://goo.gl/maps/bcJU17i7WsWy6sRV6
That is on the top of a retaining wall, not a bridge.
Correct, but the same style continues around the curve ahead over the bridge (as is easily discernable if you "drive" ahead in the Street View). I simply preferred that location as a better look at the design.

Bridge parapets are commonly used on the top of a retaining wall that supports a roadway, even when no bridge is involved on that section of roadway.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
http://www.capital-beltway.com

Baloney is a reserved word on the Internet
    (Robert Coté, 2002)

thefraze_1020

Washington State:

In 1955, the year before the Interstate Highway Act was signed, a lot of freeways were built in Washington. Some examples include US 10/ I-90 east of downtown Spokane to Spokane Valley, US 99 / I-5 through Burlington and Mount Vernon, US 99/ I-5 through Olympia, US 99/ I-5 from Tumwater to the Cowlitz County line between Chehalis and Castle Rock, and US 99/ I-5 through Vancouver. 1955 was the last year that Washington used a bridge design (superstructure and guardrail) that had been the standard since 1941. One of the best remaining examples on an Interstate is on I-5 at WA-505 near Winlock. https://www.google.com/maps/@46.4754019,-122.8831601,3a,63.7y,351.58h,97.74t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s5d48VAKjPAwWjwhcL8bAhA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

1956 and 1957 are very ambiguous, because almost every bridge in the state on Interstates has had the guardrails replaced. One of last examples left (and it is being replaced), is on I-5 at Thorne Lane near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.1268569,-122.542677,3a,35.8y,52.44h,90.54t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sVoK5mJnsmzAkhdus8No50g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DVoK5mJnsmzAkhdus8No50g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D158.83986%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

1958 was the first year of a totally new guardrail design, which remained the standard through 1962. Also, the earlier concrete tee beam superstructure was replaced by more conventional girders. Here is an example of this style, using a single round post. This example is on I-90 just east of Ritzville.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.1625881,-118.2999853,3a,75y,111.52h,96.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgjPlPSUzZDK2mLVLp8gtiQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0
The next exit east of that spot on I-90 is an example of the more conventional style with three round posts at each pier.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.2108085,-118.2265982,3a,75y,39.92h,86.49t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sGMqXaqIxJnbdYyl3tBMJBg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DGMqXaqIxJnbdYyl3tBMJBg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D162.87827%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en&authuser=0

1963 saw a revision of the guardrail style, mainly the ends were simplified with no concrete. This design was used in '64 as well.
The Cook Road overpass on I-5 just north of Burlington is an example of this type (built 1964), but it is a slab design underneath, which was less common.
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.5078583,-122.339567,3a,75y,135.69h,95.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sp6HxXt8CdfuFD2WZEc0byA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

Just north of this, at Bow Hill Road, is a more conventional example of this style guardrail, with girders underneath.
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.5573225,-122.3496493,3a,75y,352.67h,97.75t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1slhVG6uByD1uixTQ7Tqp-8g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DlhVG6uByD1uixTQ7Tqp-8g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D247.54753%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

In 1965, the guardrail was once again simplified, but this time it became a single rail. This design was used through 1973, but a revision would happen in 1970 (more to follow). I would argue that this style of bridge is still the most common design in existence.

The E Selah Road interchange on I-82 has a slab example of the guardrail style used through 1969.
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.6470187,-120.5030082,3a,75y,322.49h,94.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s0p4X68jVvBeKCGMhTaT3cg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

The US 12 interchange on I-82 in Yakima is a more conventional girder example.
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.6262439,-120.5070907,3a,75y,331.63h,99.68t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s0BZfXnXSM20D_6U79Kn98g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3D0BZfXnXSM20D_6U79Kn98g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D115.709465%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

In 1970, the guardrail was revised ever so slightly. Before 1970, the metal rail had butt ends, but 1970 through 73 had angled ends that mounted to the concrete. The I-90 bridges over Batum Road between Moses Lake and Ritzville are an example of this, however, this bridges are unique in that they have no piers.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.0862881,-118.8112008,3a,75y,356.73h,91.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sqmvZrEvTTqWWGpvQoq8CpQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DqmvZrEvTTqWWGpvQoq8CpQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D95.221756%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

1973 seems to be a transitional year, and I have seen few examples. The metal rail style was the same, but the concrete portion became an angled Jersey barrier. One of the few examples I have seen is I-5 over Gages Slough in Burlington.
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.4590849,-122.3414213,3a,75y,204.29h,78.78t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sIjEp1AWsS6sBmwwrGdxx7A!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

From 1974 until the late 80's, the guardrail became a simple Jersey barrier, with no metal rail. I-90 at WA-202 in North Bend is an example, but this one is unique underneath.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.4882973,-121.7964813,3a,75y,0.43h,101.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAS8oWLJ0_7P8Ds9RvfrjAA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

About two miles east is another variation (very few examples of this superstructure design exist to my knowledge):
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.473644,-121.7580366,3a,75y,199.86h,91.21t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s2I31iug5jGoaIfSFyoi3qw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

I-90 at High Point Way just east of Issaquah is a more conventional example, but with no piers.
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.531769,-121.9800773,3a,63.5y,163.38h,93.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srwyJ00XAr8wC3sOfLUEqpA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

I-5 at Old Hwy 99 S in South Mount Vernon is an example with one round pier:
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.3823818,-122.3331078,3a,75y,355.8h,101.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLDGpo4m3A0QYBJOOdUR9lg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

I-82 at W Sunnyside Road in Sunnyside is a slab example with a single angular pier:
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.3262432,-120.078691,3a,75y,63.86h,91.7t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8QvgimqDPjzjtmAryBvk3w!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

Yakima Valley Highway over I-82 on the east side of Zillah is another single pier style:
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.3921677,-120.240606,3a,75y,222.75h,87.85t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sawN4p8pEtz4K6JVC8OhQXw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0

The late 80's saw a metal rail mounted to the concrete barrier. This was has been used since then, but over the years, it has been used more sporadically, as after 2000 or so, WSDOT started building more custom bridges.

220th Street over I-5 in Mountlake Terrace is an example:
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.7991701,-122.3144112,3a,75y,339.28h,96.82t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sNOYiwpiz8Ma7q064ON52xg!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo3.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DNOYiwpiz8Ma7q064ON52xg%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D70.769966%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en&authuser=0
Alright, this is how it's gonna be!

Tom958


Tom958

#40
Quote from: noelbotevera on November 28, 2019, 11:16:26 PM
I'm sure Beltway has more knowledge on this, since it seems he's worked for PennDOT, but I'll give this a shot. Also note that I'll try to cover how PA's bridge designs have evolved, but it won't be perfect.

1940:
The PA Turnpike, being the first freeway in Pennsylvania, wrote its own book on building bridges. It seems the Turnpike would keep this style throughout its construction and expansion into the '50s. Copped this from exploringpahistory.com - has a postcard of the Turnpike that seems to be dated sometime around its opening.


1953:
While the Interstate system was being fleshed out, PA took the initiative to upgrade a few of its US Routes into freeways. Some Interstates were grandfathered into this primitive freeway system, such as I-83 around Harrisburg and I-78 in the area of Exits 13-17. This particular example comes from the Lehigh Valley Thruway, which was going to be I-78. Other bridges along US 22 have a different style, but seem to date from the early '50s. PADOH (Department of Highways, basically PennDOT before 1970) seems to have copied the Pennsylvania Turnpike's bridge design along this stretch, with few - if any - modifications.

The Lehigh Valley Throughway bridge in your link is a through plate girder bridge, undoubtedly selected to minimize the required vertical distance between the roadways. It's a bit surprising to me that this type of bridge is as rare as it is, though there's at least one more on this same highway. I'd bet that, when those bridges are replaced, it'll be with new structures of similar design. It'd be either that or raising the overpassing roadway several feet.

As you said, this PA Turnpike-style single arch appears to have been more standard here, though there are also some surviving original plate girder bridges with metal guardrails.

Further west on the I-78 portion of the LVT, most of the bridges have been replaced, but there's this handsome variation on the shallow arched PA Turnpike bridges... wait! It's a scam! The concrete arches are a facade concealing the plate girder structure:clap:  PADOH must've been really devoted to that PA Turnpike aesthetic! http://bridgereports.com/1457419

EDIT: Resisting the temptation to scour the state, there are a few of the original bridges left on I-83. This one at PA 238 appears unmodified except for having its parapet replaced by a Jersey barrier. A bit north is this one at Sheep Bridge Road. According to http://bridgereports.com/1476492, it was built in 1959 and reconstructed in 1999. Obviously, the bents were capped to raise the superstructure, and it seems likely that the superstructure was either replaced or drastically rebuilt. It still retains the unimpressive appearance of the original structure, though.


MCRoads

Quote from: rte66man on July 14, 2020, 02:18:40 PM
Scary 1950 bridge on the TUrner Turnpike:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6810245,-97.0466818,3a,75y,290.59h,72.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAMbJHq-NDESUR1dZN4N6Eg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It looks pretty dated, but I think it looks really cool. The road is narrow enough that it looks like they just made a very wide bridge perpendicular to the road, and put a skewed deck on it. You know of any more bridges like that?
I build roads on Minecraft. Like, really good roads.
Interstates traveled:
4/5/10*/11**/12**/15/25*/29*/35(E/W[TX])/40*/44**/49(LA**)/55*/64**/65/66*/70°/71*76(PA*,CO*)/78*°/80*/95°/99(PA**,NY**)

*/** indicates a terminus/termini being traveled
° Indicates a gap (I.E Breezwood, PA.)

more room plz

rte66man

Quote from: MCRoads on July 20, 2020, 04:27:14 PM
Quote from: rte66man on July 14, 2020, 02:18:40 PM
Scary 1950 bridge on the Turner Turnpike:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6810245,-97.0466818,3a,75y,290.59h,72.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAMbJHq-NDESUR1dZN4N6Eg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

It looks pretty dated, but I think it looks really cool. The road is narrow enough that it looks like they just made a very wide bridge perpendicular to the road, and put a skewed deck on it. You know of any more bridges like that?

Similar but newer and wide. OK66/I44 westbound at the eastern end of the Turner Turnpike:
https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0746259,-96.054766,3a,75y,238.53h,92.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s82SKp1qM9bbQAlbBnIOjGw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
When you come to a fork in the road... TAKE IT.

                                                               -Yogi Berra

Tom958

Rhode Island: I was pleasantly surprised to find this handsome shallow concrete arch design with a rakish, canted-in open concrete guardrail.  I guess that this lunky thing is its plate girder counterpart.

From 1951, this one, probably now demolished, deserves a shoutout. The guardrail posts are evenly spaced and so are those lunks is the parapet (what even are they?), but they're on different intervals, out of phase with each other. WTF?

Tom958

#45
I was pleasantly surprised by South Dakota.

This is 477th Avenue over I-29, 1960. A graceful box beam that reminds me of the ones on I-70 in Kansas, except that the original guardrail has been replaced with Jersey barriers. http://bridgereports.com/1495355

Not far away is 472nd Avenue and 319th Street over I-29, also 1960. Concrete slab, also Kansas-looking, also very nice. Belongs in my mental Hall of Fame of Extremely Economical Early Interstate Bridges. http://bridgereports.com/1495283

Both this and the box beam in the previous entry are located on a section of I-29 that cuts diagonally across the grid of surface roads. The box beam or the plate girders we'll see later are used where the lesser road crosses on a severe skew, necessitating longer spans. These concrete slab structures are used only where the lesser road is perpendicular to the freeway and lesser span lengths are adequate.

Closeup of a similar structure, also from 1960, at the other end of the state: 161st Avenue over I-90 at New Underwood. The column heads are shallow pyramids, which I find elegant, and the lighting in this shot highlights them spectacularly. http://bridgereports.com/1494354

To my delight, the same design is used for bridges carrying the freeway, too. This is I-90 over 173rd Avenue at Wicksville, also 1960. http://bridgereports.com/1494378

Back east at 278th Street over I-29 near Worthing is this hard-worn example from 1958. It bears the original channel-style guardrail, and a bolted-on steel plate covers an edge that's been hit by a vehicle. The clearance is only 13'-1"! http://bridgereports.com/1492949

I'm gilding the lily quite a bit: on this early section of I-29 we've been looking at, the interesting concrete bridges we've seen so far are roughly equal in number to these extremely prosaic plate girder structures. This one's at 306th Street over I-29 at Nora, also from 1960. It's interesting that they were building both types of bridges at the same time on basically the same section of highway. http://bridgereports.com/1495262

In fact, this type of bridge is dominant across the state, with various minor design tweaks applied over the coming years. And all the plate girder bridges are painted green except a few new ones in Sioux Falls.

These ubiquitous concrete slab bridges carry Interstates over lesser roads and small watercourses. This is I-90 over SD 73 seven miles west of Kadoka, 1967, though it could be almost anywhere in the state. http://bridgereports.com/1492516

I-90 over Black Hills National Cemetery Road near Sturgis, 1963. A less-common variation on the concrete slab design with an arch-beveled thickened drop panel instead of the integral beam/bent cap we saw earlier.  http://bridgereports.com/1493366

Eighteenth Street over I-229, concrete slab, 1959. One of the few remaining original bridges over I-229. I think it qualifies as a standard design in the state's one urban area. http://bridgereports.com/1493888

I-229 over SD 115/Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls. I didn't pay that much attention, but I think this is farly standard for cases where the freeway crosses the lesser road on a sizable skew.

Tom958

#46
North Dakota:

97th Avenue over I-94, 1957. It's a spare-looking uniform depth tee beam; the original typical galvanized metal guardrail has been replaced with a Jersey barrier.

CO 11 over I-94, 1958. It's a precast beam structure with an unusual bent design, and its metal guardrail has been replaced, too. Probably doesn't belong on this list.

104th Avenue over I-94, 1958. Same bent design but with the original galvanized metal guardrail.

Unknown road over I-94 at Crystal Springs, can't find a date. This one, with the unusual bent cap shape, is probably the most common early Interstate bridge. The galvanized guardrail looks like it has only one horizontal tube, but there are two, one being so low that the deck overhang obscures it.

Why is the overhang so big?  :hmmm:

The plot thickens: This is 20th Avenue over I-94, built in 1966. It has a Florida-looking open concrete guardrail plus, behind it, the two-tube galvanized metal guardrail I've referred to in previous entries. I surmise, without researching it to death, that the open concrete guardrail was standard early on, but has proven unsatisfactory and has been removed in most but not all cases. That explains why the metal rail is set so far back from the deck edge.

353rd Street over I-94, 1966. This one's a plate girder bridge with T-shaped bents  :clap: and, again, both the open concrete and galvanized metal guardrails.

There are numerous plate girder bridges with the two-column bents that are too boring to show you.  :wave: EDIT: Here's one. These might actually be the most common type after all.

I'm looking for the box beam version I saw somewhere...  EDIT: No, not a box beam. 74th Avenue over I-94, built in 1958 is a tee beam structure with integral columns that make it look like a box beam from a distance.

EDIT: After researching some other western states, I realized that I hadn't given due consideration to bridges carrying the Interstates over lesser roads. My efforts to correct my oversight rewarded me with  this specimen, built in 1958. It looks like a concrete slab, but it's actually a shallow tee beam, and its bents are rows of cylindrical piles! Then there's this thing of beauty, also from 1958, that really is a concrete slab and has its cylindrical piles painted baby blue.

Off topic, but... later on, the simpler designs were superseded by deeper tee beams, like this one, built in 1968.


davewiecking

This is the rail design I think of when pondering original interstate bridges in Maryland.
https://goo.gl/maps/3vyEu19B8yZVmif47

As far as the substructure, straight columns joined by a cap, with steel girders on top. Columns in the middle and both shoulders, with a bridge section spanning nothing but the up-slope.
https://goo.gl/maps/5QEWy3ZWHHbwHuU56

I recall that MD had 4 approved paint colors, depending on what drivers might see in the background. Not-quite forest green, sky blue, brown and grey (used only in the western parts of the state).

roadman65

#48
Quote from: jeffandnicole on December 30, 2019, 12:56:20 PM
NJ has been quite consistent in their Interstate bridge design, with today's structures basically mirroring what was done back in the 1960's.  There's a few inconsistences, but that was true even back 70 years ago.





One of the more unique features of a small number of overpasses is the capless pier design, such as https://goo.gl/maps/T6U23PEzKaqYBE6d9 and https://goo.gl/maps/ve31QE9o3MmwenK27 .  And I-195 was built with a trapezoid pier design, unlike most everywhere else within the state ( https://goo.gl/maps/DJG6eUgefzJxAaAD7 ).  But otherwise, NJ consistently used a very basic pier and cap design, with steel or concrete I-beams, for the grand majority of their overpasses.  When a new or full replacement is required, it rarely deviates from this original design.




I-78 had one that differed too from typical NJ design also. From Watchung to Bedminster they used the same design as Route 47 over I-295.

The Parkway and Turnpikes has their own also. However since widening of the freeway the NJTA for the former has used more typical NJDOT designs.


Then other states have been going nostalgic besides NJ as here in Maryland Heights, MO.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50651509561/in/photostream/
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

roadman65

Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe



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