Just as the subject says, is it down? and if so, is it for good?
I noticed that too. What's up?
My understanding is that they are moving things to their new website and that it will be back up when that is complete.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on April 04, 2023, 12:16:33 PM
My understanding is that they are moving things to their new website and that it will be back up when that is complete.
Cool, odd that nobody posted about that.
Surprised that someone else didn't post this, but Bridgehunter.com developer James Baughn died in late 2020. He was so popular that it got two (albeit short) threads that didn't get merged.
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=28121.msg2553506#msg2553506
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=28118.msg2553216#msg2553216
It is hard to keep a website running after the passing of someone that put so much of themselves into the development (without a corporate team willing to support it long-term).
Www.Bridgehunter.com
https://bridgehunter.com/
It's a shame that it's not available for now. Great info.
The Wayback Machine have archived some parts of BridgeHunter.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230000000000*/http://www.bridgehunter.com/
The more recent one is https://web.archive.org/web/20230321112348/http://www.bridgehunter.com/
Quote from: roadman65 on April 05, 2023, 01:28:58 AM
Www.Bridgehunter.com
https://bridgehunter.com/
It's a shame that it's not available for now. Great info.
Resurrecting an older thread: I thogut arrangements had been made to preserve Bridgehunter and allow it to be updated? Sadly, it appears not to be. "It's dead, Jim" :(
Quote from: US71 on April 05, 2023, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on April 05, 2023, 01:28:58 AM
Www.Bridgehunter.com
https://bridgehunter.com/
It's a shame that it's not available for now. Great info.
Resurrecting an older thread: I thogut arrangements had been made to preserve Bridgehunter and allow it to be updated? Sadly, it appears not to be. "It's dead, Jim" :(
As I stated above, I believe it will be back once the new site is ready to go.
Quote from: 74/171FAN on April 05, 2023, 02:42:41 PM
Quote from: US71 on April 05, 2023, 02:34:33 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on April 05, 2023, 01:28:58 AM
Www.Bridgehunter.com
https://bridgehunter.com/
It's a shame that it's not available for now. Great info.
Resurrecting an older thread: I thogut arrangements had been made to preserve Bridgehunter and allow it to be updated? Sadly, it appears not to be. "It's dead, Jim" :(
As I stated above, I believe it will be back once the new site is ready to go.
I guess I missed that memo.
What about bridgereports.com? Is *that* down for good?
I'm not exactly encouraged by this supposed upgrade to bridgehunter if it requires taking the whole site down for an indefinite period of time like this.
There's a message today:
Down for Maintenance
Sorry for the inconvenience, but this site is temporarily down for maintenance. We are working to bring it back as soon as possible
This site is operated by the Historic Bridge Foundation.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 06, 2023, 08:16:51 AM
I'm not exactly encouraged by this supposed upgrade to bridgehunter if it requires taking the whole site down for an indefinite period of time like this.
The offical website for the Formerly BBC Sci-Fi Sitcom took months of being down to migrate to a new server.
Bridgehunter has been down for 3 weeks, I guess.
When James Baughn passed away (unexpectedly), he didn't leave any instructions as to how to keep the site up and running.
The folks who now maintain the site (Historic Bridge Foundation) knew a day would come in which the current Bridgehunter site would be unsustainable and a new site was being worked upon. I guess that crash came sooner than they expected.
Wonder if the culprit is PHP 8, the same upgrade that killed the chat here.
Whatever the PHP folks did with this version sure did a number on backward compatibility. (And people wonder why I prefer Perl...)
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on April 08, 2023, 01:07:58 AM
Bridgehunter has been down for 3 weeks, I guess.
When James Baughn passed away (unexpectedly), he didn't leave any instructions as to how to keep the site up and running.
The folks who now maintain the site (Historic Bridge Foundation) knew a day would come in which the current Bridgehunter site would be unsustainable and a new site was being worked upon. I guess that crash came sooner than they expected.
How did he die?
Quote from: ixnay on April 18, 2023, 08:56:30 PM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on April 08, 2023, 01:07:58 AM
Bridgehunter has been down for 3 weeks, I guess.
When James Baughn passed away (unexpectedly), he didn't leave any instructions as to how to keep the site up and running.
The folks who now maintain the site (Historic Bridge Foundation) knew a day would come in which the current Bridgehunter site would be unsustainable and a new site was being worked upon. I guess that crash came sooner than they expected.
How did he die?
https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=28121.0
The website is back up, albeit a very bare-bones version of it.
Yuck, that's a pretty subpar interface so far.
It's a work in progress, rather have this than nothing at all.
The search function worked reasonably well provided the name you searched is somewhat distinct.
Quote from: ixnay on April 18, 2023, 08:56:30 PM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on April 08, 2023, 01:07:58 AM
Bridgehunter has been down for 3 weeks, I guess.
When James Baughn passed away (unexpectedly), he didn't leave any instructions as to how to keep the site up and running.
The folks who now maintain the site (Historic Bridge Foundation) knew a day would come in which the current Bridgehunter site would be unsustainable and a new site was being worked upon. I guess that crash came sooner than they expected.
How did he die?
Instead of providing you a link. I'll just tell you what happened. He fell to his death while hiking.
Quote from: bugo on June 15, 2023, 12:52:01 PM
How did [James Baughn] die?
Quote
Instead of providing you a link.
I wasn't expecting a link. Word of cybermouth would have been fine. I didn't think Mr. Baughn was that famous, though I had never heard of him until I discovered this thread. No need to be snarky, bugo.
QuoteI'll just tell you what happened. He fell to his death while hiking.
Thank you.
https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=missouri/broadway/
Here is one that is up, that sort of is like BridgeHunter.
The site address and data was taken over by:
Historic Bridge Foundation.
Historic Bridge Foundation is a 501(C)(3) organization. This project has been funded in part by a grant from the Fondren Endowed Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Burdine Johnson Foundation.
Since the original site was in effect the accumulation of years of information, it will probably take a few years to migrate it.
Quote from: ixnay on April 18, 2023, 08:56:30 PMQuote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on April 08, 2023, 01:07:58 AMBridgehunter has been down for 3 weeks, I guess.
When James Baughn passed away (unexpectedly), he didn't leave any instructions as to how to keep the site up and running.
The folks who now maintain the site (Historic Bridge Foundation) knew a day would come in which the current Bridgehunter site would be unsustainable and a new site was being worked upon. I guess that crash came sooner than they expected.
How did he die?
TL;DR Hiking down a trail and fell into a river from a damaged bridge, eventually drowned.
For everyone that needs bridges, a VERY good site is provided by FHWA
https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.gov/Data (https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.gov/Data)
Quote from: snowc on June 08, 2024, 04:26:46 PMFor everyone that needs bridges, a VERY good site is provided by FHWA
https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.gov/Data (https://infobridge.fhwa.dot.gov/Data)
Holy hell that is a gold mine. Appreciated.
Link the to the archived version of Bridgehunter. This version is still largely useable:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321112348/http://bridgehunter.com/
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 08, 2024, 05:29:01 PMLink the to the archived version of Bridgehunter. This version is still largely useable:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321112348/http://bridgehunter.com/
you have to copy and past the link. The hyperlink cuts itself short.
I went to check info on the US 60 bridge over Little Cabin Creek in Craig County, OK and it said site was under construction.
My results using the archive version usually vary by county. Most of the time I can still read the build year and structure on the county list if the specific bridge links are dead. I figured it was better than nothing.
Quote from: bwana39 on June 08, 2024, 08:15:36 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on June 08, 2024, 05:29:01 PMLink the to the archived version of Bridgehunter. This version is still largely useable:
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321112348/http://bridgehunter.com/
you have to copy and past the link. The hyperlink cuts itself short.
I think I found a way to fix it.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230321112348/http://bridgehunter.com/ (https://web.archive.org/web/20230321112348/http://bridgehunter.com/)
There's also a screenshot from 2012 archived on Archive.today.
https://archive.ph/C58c
Quote from: snowc on June 08, 2024, 04:24:48 PMQuote from: ixnay on April 18, 2023, 08:56:30 PMHow did he die?
TL;DR Hiking down a trail and fell into a river from a damaged bridge, eventually drowned.
Is this true? I don't remember reading anything about drowning, just that he fell during a hike.
I was advised today that Bridgehunter has returned to functionality. Just passing the word along. Some of the map coordinates are screwed up from what I've viewed so far.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 15, 2025, 05:12:53 PMI was advised today that Bridgehunter has returned to functionality. Just passing the word along. Some of the map coordinates are screwed up from what I've viewed so far.
Well, now that you mentioned it.
I went over to the site and its operational.
It is more location based than the old site was. If you know
where you want to look for a bridge, it operates no different than old version did. If you are looking types of bridges, that search function doesn't work as well. And good luck if you want to search for a specific bridge name :-/
Not sure how they will allow for additions (new photos, new bridges), and RIP to their forum.
Geocoding for the bridges are sporadic. Most of what I looked at, in Ohio, were correctly mapped. One exception was a concrete arch in Geauga County, which got mapped somewhere in India.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 15, 2025, 05:12:53 PMI was advised today that Bridgehunter has returned to functionality. Just passing the word along. Some of the map coordinates are screwed up from what I've viewed so far.
It is still a work in progress and it only to the end of 2022.
Quote from: bwana39 on January 19, 2025, 05:51:40 PMQuote from: Max Rockatansky on January 15, 2025, 05:12:53 PMI was advised today that Bridgehunter has returned to functionality. Just passing the word along. Some of the map coordinates are screwed up from what I've viewed so far.
It is still a work in progress and it only to the end of 2022.
Fortunately for me I was never really interested in anything but vintage bridges. To that end it is still one of the better sources for ideas on day trips.