Bridges & Tunnels Updates

[seicer]

^No, but it's become an eyesore for the two cities that border the bridge.
^^ WOW!

The Stonelick Covered Bridge is located on Stonelick-Williams Corner Road in rural Clermont County, Ohio and was constructed in 1878. The 140-foot Howe Truss is the last covered span in the county, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

In 2008, the Clermont County Engineer's office applied to the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program and received a $360,000 federal grant, which required a $90,000 local match. The office then hired a covered bridge consultant who presented five preservation options. After public meetings, the Engineer's office settled on a $1.1 million plan that would involve constructing a new bridge inside the historic span while preserving most of the old bridge. The new crossing would consist of arches constructed of glued laminated timber and would increase the bridge's weight to 12 tons, enabling emergency vehicles and school buses to cross.

Some groups opposed the plans, stating that rehabilitation of the existing bridge would be $400,000 cheaper.

On May 22, 2010, an overweight truck crossed the covered bridge and caused extensive damage to the structure. The county engineer's office, upon hearing reports from area residents that the floor beams were damaged, immediately closed the span. A truck driver, crossing with a 11-ton vehicle that was well in excess of the 3-ton limit, was later charged and the driver's company settled with the county for over $10,000.

Rehabilitation work could start in the spring of 2012 and be complete by winter.





Further Reading
a. Stonelick Covered Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/stonelick-covered-bridge/

[agentsteel53]

^No, but it's become an eyesore for the two cities that border the bridge.

then Fatcat von Crybaby McElitistBag can climb up there himself with a bucket of paint.  not a legitimate use of tax dollars.

[seicer]

There are many reasons to paint a bridge, which you may not be aware of. What you see is the primer on the span, which is an indication that the bridge needs a repainting. I looked through the INDOT/KYTC contracts and can't find the last time it was painted, most likely in the early 1980s. Besides the obvious beautification of the span, there are many components that need frequent painting and maintenance that are hidden from the driver's view. It's shocking that people are so focused on building new for everything, yet we neglect our crumbling infrastructure that the ASCE just noted needs $1.2 -trillion- worth of work just to keep it in good condition.

--

The Sulphur-Bedford Road Bridge, built in 1901, was abandoned in 1999 when a replacement span was constructed along the Little Kentucky River in rural Trimble County, Kentucky. The span has deteriorated substantially since its closing, and is not safe to cross by foot.













Further Reading
a. Sulphur-Bedford Road Bridge (KY 3175): http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/kentucky/sulphur-bedford-road-bridge-ky-3175/

[seicer]

I have been neglecting some of the fantastic bridge architecture in Columbus, Ohio until lately, having been in the city many times throughout the last six months visiting friends and enjoying the nightlife. For my last trip, I opted to at least walk around on an unusually warm winter morning and capture the new Main Street crossing over the Scioto River.

The original Main Street Bridge was a multiple span, art-deco open-spandrel concrete deck arch bridge that was constructed in 1937. After it had substantially deteriorated, the bridge was closed in 2000 to traffic. Demolition began in August 2006.

Desiring an iconic bridge to replace the art-deco bridge, the city of Columbus contracted with Dr. Spiro Pollalis, professor of design technology and management at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design to design a new crossing. Also leading the design was DLZ Ohio, a Columbus-based architectural, engineering and environmental services company for project management, and HNTB as a partner for the lead structural design work. The design criteria was established by state and federal transportation officials, city leaders, the state historic preservation office, the Franklin County engineer, area residential and commercial developers that were near the bridge, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the downtown association, among others.

Part of the financing was derived from $15 million from the State Infrastructure Bank and $8.3 million in city bonds for the bridge design. When bids were let for construction, the lowest construction bid was $44.1 million. The bridge, completed on July 30, 2010, was the first single inclined arch suspension bridge in North America and the fifth in the world to use an inclined arch superstructure. The cost of the bridge was $60.1 million.

It is beautiful and a testament to modern civil engineering. While I lament the loss of the art-deck open-spandrel arch that stood for so many years, it was in poor structural condition and that rehabilitation would only extend its lifespan for only a set number of short years before needing another infusion of funding.













Further Reading
a. Main Street Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/columbus-ohio-main-street-bridge/

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

As I told folks at the C-bus meet last year (when we stopped at this bridge), they should have flip/flop this bridge with the Lane Ave. bridge. The Lane ave. suspension bridge would stand out more, amongst the Columbus skyscrapers while the Main St. bridge, with its "futuristic design" would be a wonderful observational piece for engineering and planning students alike at OSU.
That and the Main St. bridge came in at triple it's original cost (so no more fancy bridges in Columbus for awhile)

[seicer]

Rather unassuming but equally as important, two Pratt through truss bridges in Columbus, Ohio carried the Hocking Valley (HV) Railroad and the Toledo & Ohio Central (T&OC) Railroad over the Scioto River near downtown. The westernmost span was constructed for the HV while the easternmost span was constructed for the T&OC, and both carried dual tracks. The HV bridge was located immediately north of their Mound Street Yard.

Groundbreaking for the HV occurred on June 5, 1867 in Columbus, with the lower and upper HV spans over the Scioto River being completed on April 29, 1868.

There isn't all that much information on the bridges in general, but it is known that the steel griders to the immediate north for the HV were replaced in 1910, and it is surmised that the Scioto River Bridge was replaced at that time. The T&OC bridges north of the Scioto River were replaced in 1920, and it is surmised that the Scioto River Bridge was replaced at that time. The 1910 and 1920 dates are sourced from the National Bridge Inventory.

From a dating perspective, that would correlate to their appearance. The HV bridge is to the right, and features slightly lighter gauge steel and more intricate trusses, whereas the T&OC bridge has heavier steelwork and less decorative elements.



The HV eventually went under the control of the Chesapeake & Ohio, later known as CSX. On June 1, 1999, Conrail was split between CSX and Norfolk Southern, with CSX receiving a 42% share of the ex-New York Central Lines, including the former T&OC line from Columbus north. With both the HV and the T&OC under CSX control, they commanded use of both Scioto River bridges north of the Mound Street Yard.



The Rich Street underpass was built in 1910 and surmised to have been enlarged in 1920. It was built as a five track alignment, with four mains and one siding, although the siding tracks were later removed.





Further Reading
a. HV and T&OC Railroad Scioto River Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/hocking-valley-railroad-and-toledo-and-ohio-central-railroad-scioto-river-bridge/

[seicer]

Endangered Delaware County, Ohio Bridges

On a recent trip to Columbus, Ohio, I decided to make a side trip to photograph two endangered Delaware County bridges.

Brown Road Bridge, which is located on Scioto Township Road 176 over Bokes Creek west of Delaware, was constructed in 1915 by the Bellefontaine Bridge and Steel Company. It replaced an earlier span that was washed out in the 1913 flood. The riveted Pratt through truss was determined to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

In early 2010, the county engineering office studied options on whether to rehabilitate or replace the Brown Road Bridge. The crossing was found to be in poor structural condition, and the decision ultimately was made to replace the truss. The new bridge is estimated to cost $2.3 million. The federal local bridge program funded up to 95% of the estimated $1.5 million in construction and engineering costs, with the remainder coming from Delaware County road and bridge funds.

Right-of-way and utility work is currently ongoing for the replacement bridge.









A little closer to development and equally as endangered, the Orange Road Bridge is a through truss bridge over the Olentangy River on West Orange Road in Powell immediately east of OH 315, the Olentangy Heritage Corridor. Constructed in 1898 by the Toledo Bridge Company, the 9-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss is historically significant for its design. It is one of two remaining Pratt through trusses built by the Toledo Bridge Company.

The truss replaced the "Thomas Bridge,"  a wooden crossing that had been washed out in a flood.

The substructure was built by McDonald & Cook and is sandstone. The deck was originally wooden, built of 3-inch burr and white oak timbers, although it was later given an asphalt overlay.



In 1970, the Orange Road Bridge was rehabilitated. During the project, the Ohio Bridge Company of Cambridge, Ohio raised the bridge, removed the old bridge seats, and added new ones that were concrete reinforced with steel. Four hip verticals, the first vertical members beyond the portal, were reinforced with the addition of 32-foot, 1.25-inch diameter vertical rods between each pair of 2-inch x 5/8-inch vertical square bars. In the 1980s, the east abutment was faced with concrete.

At its spring 2001 meeting, the Ohio Historic Bridge Association passed a resolution recommending the preservation of the Orange Road Bridge. The bridge was included in the National Register of Historic Places on June 26, 2002.











In 2005, due to structural deficiencies, a three-ton weight limit was imposed. A new bridge for Orange Road was completed in 2009. Due to the local, state and national significance of the bridge, the original Orange Road Bridge was not demolished.





Further Reading
a. Brown Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/brown-road-bridge/
b. Orange Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/orange-road-bridge/

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Also see https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=6121.0

[seicer]

Instead of catching up on housework and painting on a rainy day in Cincinnati, Ohio, I opted to head north to visit some of western Ohio's historic bridges. My first stop was the Fudge Road Bridge in Preble County, which carries TR 347 over Aukerman Creek. Constructed in 1913 by the Central States Bridge Company of Indianapolis, it is regarded to be one of the longer half-hip pony trusses constructed.

The structurally deficient bridge was recently closed to traffic, and it will not likely be replaced with a new crossing.











Nearby was the Brubaker Covered Bridge, which is located over Sam's Run on Aukerman Creek Road, which later became Brubker Road in Preble County. Constructed in 1887 by Everett S. Sherman for $986, the covered Childs through truss was rehabilitated from 2005 to 2006. The project was initially approved for the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program, for which 80% of the cost would be covered by federal funds. But due to the War in Iraq, the federal funds were withdrawn by the federal government despite its approval. But due to the efforts of Linda Bailiff of the Office of Local Assistance, the Ohio Department of Transportation agreed to provide $237,600 in state funding and $92,400 in PCEO funding for the renovation.











The Seven Mile Bridge (TR 331) is located on Seven Mile Road and crosses Seven Mile Creek. Constructed in 1906 by the Indiana Bridge Company of Muncie, Indiana, the Seven Mile Bridge is a single-span, 155-foot long, pin-connected "High Triangular"  truss — a loose copy of a 1906 Pegram truss, and is the only one of its type in Ohio. The Pegram truss was patented by George H. Pegram in 1885, and featured equal-length sloping upper chords, a lack of verticals and steeply sloped diagonals, saving steel and allowing for easy disassembly. It was difficult to make riveted connections and was mostly used in the late 20th century.

The Seven Mile Bridge was rehabilitated in 1985 with a new wood bridge deck and the addition of welded stiffeners to the floorbeam hangers.













The Harshman Covered Bridge is located on Concord-Fairhaven Road and crosses Four Mile Creek and was constructed in 1894 by Everett S. Sherman at a cost of $3,184, with masonry work completed by J.M. Acton. The stone abutments were sourced from the Stony Point quarry just to the north, and a sawmill along the creek near the bridge provided cut lumber.

From December 2007 to May 2008, the covered bridge was rehabilitated with new siding, flooring system and standing seam metal roof. In addition, deficient upper and lower chords were replaced or added, and the weight limit was raised on the bridge from 6 tons to 15 tons. Financing for the project derived with 95% federal funding.



I was lucky to make it eastward to the Consolidated Road Underpass for the Norfolk Southern Railroad south of Eaton in time to catch a passing train!

The stone underpass, which was constructed in 1880 for the Eaton and Hamilton Railroad (E&H), later the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad (CH&D) and eventually Conrail and Norfolk Southern. The E&H was chartered on February 8, 1847 to construct a line from the Richmond and Miami Railroad at Eaton southeast towards the CH&D north of Hamilton. The E&H used trackage rights into the city and south to New Miami. The E&H was opened to Eaton on July 1, 1852.



Just to the north in Eaton is the St. Clair Street Bridge. Constructed in 1887 by Columbia Bridge Works of Dayton, the eight-panel pin-connected Pratt through truss measures just over 100 feet in length. The crossing was rehabilitated in 1999 and a new paver brick deck was installed.











Northwest of Eaton is the Monebrake Road Bridge, located on Monebrake Road that crosses Seven Mile Creek. The one-lane Warren pony truss was constructed in 1910 by the York Bridge Company of York, Pennsylvania.













The Pratt through truss Sonora Road Bridge crosses Twin Creek and was constructed in 1902.







That concludes part 1 of the western Ohio historic bridge tour. Part 2 will cover some additional spans in an adjoining county!

Further Reading
Brubaker Covered Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/brubaker-covered-bridge/
Consolidated Road Underpass: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/consolidated-road-underpass-eaton-and-hamilton-railroad/
Fudge Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/fudge-road-bridge/
Harshman Covered Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/harshman-covered-bridge/
Monebrake Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/monebrake-road-bridge/
Seven Mile Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/seven-mile-road-bridge/
Sonora Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/sonora-road-bridge/
St. Clair Street Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/st-clair-street-bridge/

[seicer]

Part two of the western Ohio historic bridge tour begins with the McClure Road Bridge in Darke County. This wrought-iron, seven-panel Pratt through truss was constructed in 1882 by the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio.

















I headed eastward through Greenville and began tracing the former Richmond and Covington Railroad, which later became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Conrail. The rail line was abandoned in 1983 and is slowly being converted into Ohio Bicycle Route 36 (Ohio and Indiana Trail). But along the way, I came across the Mill Road Bridge that carried Mill Road over Greenville Creek in Gettysburg. Constructed in 1881 by the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio, the Whipple through truss was rehabilitated in 2011 and 2012. Rehabilitation work included repairing the superstructure, installing a new 3″x4″ timber strip deck and asphalt chip-seal surface, the placement of new wood guardrails and re-mortaring the masonry abutments.

The bridge is part of the Bicycle Route 36, and will be fully open to bicycles and pedestrians in the near future.



















A series of four overpasses was constructed for the Columbus, Piqua and Indiana Railroad in Covington. The line westward, from Columbus, Ohio to Union City, Indiana, opened on March 25, 1859. The railroad eventually became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad and then Conrail before being abandoned in 1983.

Adrian Miller requested to tear down the Wall Street overpass on May 1, 2008, with the goal to keep the stones for personal use.(2) The North Mill Street overpass, after being excavated around for dirt, was given an immediate bridge inspection in the spring of 2009. The street has since been closed to traffic.

This is slated to be part of Ohio Bicycle Route 36 (Ohio and Indiana Trail).


North Wall Street


North Pearl Street


North High Street


North Main Street

To the south is the Falknor Road Bridge. The two-span, pin-connected Pratt through truss over the Stillwater River was constructed in 1899. A stone arch bridge is located just to the east and was constructed at the same time.

Relocation work for a new Falknor Bridge began in June 1970 when sealed bids were being accepted by contractors for a replacement Falknor Bridge and alignment. Approach costs in 1971 were pegged at $39,225. Today, the bridges lie within the F.L. Blankenship Riverside Sanctuary.









I ended the tour of western Ohio's historic spans with the Owens Road Bridge. Carrying Owens Road over Panther Creek, the bridge was constructed in the 1880s by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio. The six-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss was rehabilitated in 1958.







Further Reading
Columbus, Piqua and Indiana Railroad Covington, Ohio Bridges: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/columbus-piqua-indiana-railroad-covington-ohio-bridges/
Falknor Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/falknor-road-bridge/
McClure Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/mcclure-road-bridge/
Mill Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/mill-road-bridge/
Owens Road Bridge: http://bridgestunnels.com/bridges/ohio/owens-road-bridge/

[seicer]

Corona-Bayard Road Bridge

While exploring the region around Thomas and Davis, West Virginia, I made a side trip to visit some former coal camp communities in extreme western Maryland. By accident, while traveling WV 92, I came across the former Corona-Bayard Road Bridge, which carried Corona-Bayard Road over the North Branch Potomac River between Garrett County, Maryland and Bayard, West Virginia.



Constructed in 1896 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Ohio, the bridge was a three-span crossing, with two steel beam approach spans and a center pin-connected Pratt through truss. The truss contained five panels with diagonal endposts, and had a main span length of 91.3 feet. It originally had a vertical clearance of 13.7 feet, but at some point prior to 1984, a vertical restriction device was added that capped the clearance to 8.6 feet.

On November 25, 1935, the road departments of Maryland and West Virginia agreed to reconstruct the Corona-Bayard Road Bridge, although there is no evidence existing to show what reconstruction work was conducted. New stringers and steel deck were added in 1961, and the spans were strengthened in 1982, and on several occasions between 1982 and 1988.

Large trucks hauling coal illegally crossed the bridge on a daily basis, ignoring the posted weight limit that accelerated deterioration of the bridge. On July 8, 1988, the Corona-Bayard Road Bridge was closed to traffic due to the presence of deteriorated fracture critical members, the moderate to severe deterioration in the stringers, the losses on the steel grid deck, the stringer weld attachments to the floor beams that were broken, the tipped and mis-arranged steel bent supporting columns, and extensive rusting.

The Corona-Bayard Road Bridge is scheduled for replacement. A bid request was posted on January 11, 2012 with it being due to the office on February 9. The contract for the bridge replacement was let to Carl Belt Inc. on May 15 for the amount of $1,246,205.(6)









It is a shame that this span is now being replaced after standing for over two decades as a pedestrian and bicycle connection. With the amount of one- and two-lane routes in this area, the historic bridge could have served as encouragement to develop an extensive rural bicycling network. Or at the very least, the span could have been relocated elsewhere for use on a rail-to-trail or within a park.

[bulldog1979]

While traveling to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan earlier in the fall, I came across the picturesque Cut River Bridge along U.S. Route 2 in Mackinac County. The Cantilever deck truss bridge was constructed from 1941 to 1946, and was one of two such spans in the state. The lengthy duration of construction for the 641 foot span was attributed to steel rationing during World War II.

Wonder what the crossing was before that?

There's a Cut River Rd that crosses the river upstream from its outlet on Lake Michigan.
http://g.co/maps/5ek6u

There wasn't a highway through that area. US 2 followed what is now H-40 and other roads before it was moved closer to the lakeshore. See the Wikipedia article for more details.

[seicer]

These are photographic updates along the Ohio River, from Ashland, Kentucky to Louisville and some points in between.

I start out with the Ben Williamson Bridge - in green, and the Simon Willis Bridge - in blue, in Ashland. The Ben Williamson Bridge was constructed from 1928 to 1932 and was a tolled facility until they were lifted in 1941. The bridge was rehabilitated in 1999 with a new driving deck and structural improvements, and was painted a battleship gray color. In 2007, it was repainted green.



The Simon Willis Bridge is newer, having been constructed between 1981 to 1985. For years, a second span over the Ohio River was proposed elsewhere in the city, to supplement or replace the Ben Williamson Bridge. Originally, the discussion centered on a bridge at 45th Street to connect to an Ashland bypass and US 52 in Ohio. Downtown merchants preferred a downtown bridge. And after US 60 south of Ashland to Interstate 64 was widened, this only congested traffic further on the Ben Williamson, which led to the decision to construct a parallel span in downtown.

The Simon Willis Bridge was repainted in a blue hue in 2007. Combined with the Ben Williamson's green, they comprise the city of Ashland's colors.




In nearby Ironton, Ohio is the historic OH 75 tunnel. Constructed in 1866 by Dr. B.F. Cory as a way for horses and buggies to access the iron furnaces in rural Lawrence County, the tunnel  was bored through sandstone and limestone. In 1915, the tunnel was enlarged by the Mahlbe Brothers to 30-feet wide and was enough to accommodate two automobile lanes.It was closed and sealed in 1960 when a four-lane bypass was constructed to the immediate west as part of the OH 93 realignment and US 52 freeway construction development.

In 1989, the tunnel was reopened by the Ironton Lions Club as a haunted tunnel.




The Norfolk Western Railroad Osborn Run Bridge is located in Hanging Rock, Ohio and was constructed originally in 1901. In 1941, the bridge was given a concrete lining and other structural improvements.

A spur up Osborn Run once left from the bridge site to serve Hanging Rock Iron Company, but it has been long abandoned.

The bridge was converted into a roadway when the rail line was relocated further south when the US 52 freeway was constructed in 1960.






The Norfolk Western Railroad Little Scioto River Bridge is a Baltimore Warren through truss over the Little Scioto River. Paralleling it is the US 52 freeway, which was completed in 1964. Because of dimming light, I was not able to hike over to the bridge - that is for another day.



The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Bridge over the Ohio River between Limeville, Kentucky and Sciotoville, Ohio was constructed from 1914 to 1917 by the McClintick-Marshall Construction Company. The structurally massive railroad bridge was designed by two famous American Civil Engineers, Gustav Lindenthal, D.Sc., the Consulting Engineer and David Barnard Steinman, D.Sc., the designer and stress analyst. It was the longest continuous truss bridge in the world until 1935 and is still the prototype for continuous trusses today. I covered the history behind it in an earlier post.





The Gallia Pike Little Scioto River Bridge was constructed in 1926-1927 and carried US 52 until 1964 when the adjoining freeway was completed through Sciotoville. The span was rehabilitated in 1993.




Remnants of the pre-1926 bridge are still visible, such as the stone abutments and old roadway alignment.




Not much can be said about the John A. Roebling Bridge other than it was constructed from 1856 to 1866, and was used as a model for Roebling's next project, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. I used the advantages of evening light to capture three new photographs of this historic suspension span.





The Clark Memorial Bridge carries US 31 over the Ohio River between Louisville and New Albany, Indiana. Design work for the bridge began in September 1926 after much delay, and construction on the four-lane cantilever began in June 1928.  It was finished in October 1929 and was tolled until 1946.





I end with the Fourteenth Street Bridge, which connects Louisville to Clarksville, Indiana.

The first proposal for crossing of the Ohio at Louisville came early, when James Guthrie formed the Ohio Bridge Company to construct a bridge in 1829. An architect from New England, Ithiel Town, was hired to design a wooden bridge, and a cornerstone was laid in 1836 by Twelfth Street in Louisville. The Panic of 1837 stopped further work, and additional capital could not be secured. An additional attempt was made in the 1850s, but the project was thereafter known as "Guthrie's Folly."

In the 1860s, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) and the Jeffersonville and Indianapolis Railroad (J&I) both desired a railroad crossing over the Ohio River. On February 17, 1865, the United States Congress authorized the construction of a bridge at Louisville, as there were no bridges across the Ohio River at Cincinnati or any place westward. The L&N financed the Louisville Bridge Company, and work on the new bridge began on August 1, 1867. Albert Fink served as architect and used his patented Fink truss design for the project. The design called for a minimum span length of 330 feet and one track. Stone for the piers was sourced from Bardstown Junction, Kentucky and Utica, Indiana.

At the time of its completion on February 12, 1870, the L&N Fourteenth Street Bridge was the longest iron bridge in the United States, featuring 27 spans over one mile. The bridge also included a swing span. Span lengths varied from 352 feet to 380 feet, and was high enough so that steamboats could make their way underneath via the Portland Canal. The height was so high that it added $150,000 to the construction cost, which totalled $2,003,696.27. Unfortunately, 56 men were killed and 80 injured during the construction process.

The Pennsylvania Railroad purchased the L&N's 60% ownership of the bridge, and commanded control of the crossing in the mid-1870s after acquiring the J&I tracks between Jeffersonville and Indianapolis. By 1882, the Pennsylvania Bridge was used up to 150 times per day, with communications controlled by semaphore. But by the 1900s, the bridge was being stressed - with 300 trains running on the bridge per day. Between May 1916 and January 1919, a new single-track steel superstructure was installed on the old stone piers. One pier on the Indiana side was removed, and that span length was increased to 643.10 feet in length which improved river navigation. A lift span replaced the swing span above the canal.

In 1968, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad merged to become Penn Central. Eight years later, it was placed under Conrail. The Louisville and Indiana Railroad purchased the Jeffersonville to Indianapolis line and bridge from Conrail in March 1994.

[seicer]

Southern Ohio is rife with historic bridges, both metal and wooden, and coupled with its rolling topography set amongst family farms and small towns, makes for picturesque drives and settings.

As a child, I remember being driven along US 52 along the Ohio River west of Portsmouth. The Higginsport Bridge is one of my memories of that drive, having been located on the A&P Highway, or US 52, in Higginsport that crosses White Oak Creek. The one-lane Whipple through truss was bypassed in 1943.













The New Hope Bridge carried US 68 across White Oak Creek in New Hope. Constructed in 1884 by the Lomas Forge and Bridge Works of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Whipple through truss was bypassed in 1960 with a new two-lane alignment. The deck on this span is in a state of serious deterioration, and the floor beams have to an extent rusted through.



















Close to the abandoned New Hope Bridge is the New Hope Covered Bridge, which remains open to pedestrians and is in excellent condition. The New Hope Covered Bridge is a covered Howe truss with an arch that was built in 1878 by Josiah Bryant. It was bypassed in 1978 with a modern two-lane crossing.





Nearby was the Brown Covered Bridge, constructed in 1878, is located north-northeast of New Hope, Ohio along New Hope-White Oak Station Road, and is a Smith covered truss. The span was constructed by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo. More photographs coming soon - I was not able to cross the span due to a police officer sitting in his cruiser on the other end.



The McCafferty Covered Bridge is located southwest of Fayetteville, Ohio on McCafferty Road, and was constructed in 1877 as a Howe covered truss over the East Fork Little Miami River. The span was last rehabilitated in 1963. The rural farm scene at the other end in Brown County is typical for southern Ohio - family farms, a decent amount of Amish, one-lane back roads and small towns make up for quite a diverse region.

[seicer]

Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Bridge

There is not a freeway more divisive than Cleveland, Ohio's Innerbelt Freeway. Originally referred to as US 42, it was envisioned in 1940 as a method to divert through traffic from a congested downtown, and to connect the Lake Erie-bordering Shoreway with the proposed Willow Freeway and Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. Planning for the Innerbelt began in 1944, when a freeway was proposed from the East 30th Street — Shoreway area to Abbey Avenue and West 14th Street on the near west side.

Right-of-way purchases for the 3.24-mile, 110-acre highway cost $22.5 million and consumed 1,250 parcels of land, and it was then estimated that the entire project would total $75 million. Financing was 90% sourced from the federal government, 5% from the city of Cleveland and 5% from the state. The Superior Avenue to Shoreway segment, planned for construction in 1956, was projected to cost $14 million. The East 30th Street to Superior Avenue section, with six underpasses, was set for a 1957 start and cost $12 million. The interchanges was projected to cost $1 million for the right-of-way and $50,000 for engineering.

Construction on the centerpiece, an eight-lane bridge over the Cuyahoga River, located south of the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, began on December 12, 1954. Construction on the abutments and approach piers began first, costing an estimated $6 million.(20) The 4,233-foot cantilever truss bridge, estimated to cost $9.5 million, along with the $7 million approach superstructure, was opened to traffic on August 18, 1959. The total cost was $26,066,000 and the bridge , consisting of 7,000 individual steel beams, was the widest and biggest in the state.

Below: The Innerbelt Bridge under construction, July 24, 1956. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



Below: The Innerbelt Bridge under construction, July 17, 1957. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



Below: The Innerbelt Bridge under construction, July 16, 1957. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



Below: The Innerbelt Freeway at the future Willow Freeway and the approach to the Innerbelt Bridge, photographed August 3, 1959 by Frank Aleksandrowicz. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



Below: Donated by Sara Ruth Watson to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



The next segment of the Innerbelt to be completed opened on December 17, 1959 that ran from the Shoreway south to Chester Avenue near East 24th Street. The central section, connecting the shoreway to the Innerbelt Bridge and to the Willow Freeway, began in late-1959 and was not opened until December 5, 1961 due to complex land-acquisition issues. It took until August 1 of 1962 to open all 37 highway ramps that led to and from the freeway.

Below: The Chester Avenue interchange, photographed December 16, 1959 by Herman Seid. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



Below: The Innerbelt Freeway in 1960. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



Below: The central section of the freeway at Willow, photographed March 13, 1961. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



The presence of the Innerbelt and the Cuyahoga River crossing was vital to the completion of Interstates 71, 77 and 90. The Willow Freeway was completed in 1966 and was numbered Interstate 77 seven years later.

Below: The Willow Freeway junctioning the Innerbelt Freeway, photographed on October 3, 1963 by Bernie Noble. Donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.



In July 1983, a $6.1 million project to add an 1,500-foot acceleration lane to the West 14th Street ramp was begun by the Horvitz Company of Valley View. Work was scheduled to be completed by June 30, 1985. The company was also the successful bidder to install a new latex concrete deck over the existing concrete pavement by July of 1984 at a cost of $2.4 million.

But years of pounding traffic, deterioration from salt and other de-icing agents and general fatigue took its toll on the Innerbelt Bridge. After a 3-D computerized image was produced of the trusses in November 2008, all commercial truck traffic was prohibited from the crossing. Various chords were discovered to be under extreme stress and could no longer support a full load of traffic. Due to the span's fracture-critical design, if a chord failed, the entire bridge could collapse - similar to the Interstate 35W bridge failure over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota that occurred just a year prior. The discovery of the weaknesses led the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to scrap a $240 million rehabilitation project, which would have extended the lifespan of the span for another 30 years.

Immediately afterward, ODOT closed the outer lanes to reduce the weight on the chords. A day later, two more lanes were closed to traffic. Two lanes in each direction were closed from September 1 to November 13, 2009 to facilitate $10 million in repairs, and on November 25, ODOT reopened all of the lanes and permitted trucks to use the westbound Innerbelt Bridge. Steel plates were used to reinforced the chords. In addition, the West 14th Street acceleration lane was removed as it added undue weight and stress to the cantilever trusses.

By mid-2010, trucks were allowed to use the eastbound lanes.

The need to replace the Innerbelt Bridge also hemmed not just on safety, but on functionality. The freeway had numerous design deficiencies, including improper reduction in the basic number of traffic lanes, poor ramp configurations and spacing, inadequate curve radii and minimal shoulder width. The bridge also had a very high crash rate. As a result, ODOT announced plans to construct a new westbound Innerbelt Bridge in March 2009, utilizing federal transportation stimulus funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

















The new westbound bridge would be financed with $85 million federal transportation stimulus funds via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $200 million in federal funds. It is expected to cost $287.4 million. Several alternatives were consisted, narrowed down to Alternative A and B.

Alternative A entailed the construction of new 35 mainline, ramp and overhead bridges, 16  mainline and ramp deck replacements, and provide three through-lanes in each direction within the trench and five lanes in each direction across the bridge. A new bridge north of the existing viaduct would carry westbound traffic, and have a main span length of 800 feet, with 1,028 feet of structure on the west approach and 3,371 feet on the east approach. The eastbound bridge, built in the alignment of the existing viaduct, would have a main span length of 800 feet, with 1,226 feet of structure on the west approach and 3,053 feet on on the east approach.

Alternative B was nearly identical, but on a more southern alignment. It would include a new eastbound bridge with a 900-foot main span length, 1,043 feet of structure on the west approach and 3,061 feet on the east approach. The westbound bridge, which would be built on the alignment of the existing viaduct, would feature a main span of 800 feet, with 1,226 feet of structure on the west approach and 3,053 feet on the east approach.

Both approaches reduced the number of design deficiencies from 131 to just six. Alternative A impacted three historic structures that were determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. With the alternative, all three would be removed. Alternative B would require two historic structures be removed, in addition of two residences — one contributing, the other not, within the Tremont National Register Historic District. It would also affect access and and have proximity impacts to the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Chruch.

A Record of Decision was issued in favor of Alternative A on September 18, 2009 for the replacement of the Innerbelt Bridge as part of the Innerbelt Freeway reconstruction in Cleveland. The new bridge consisted of a steel delta frame design, with a number of long spans and very tall piers. Initial plans called for an opening of the eastbound span in 2017, although this was revised to 2023-2026 in an early 2012 project funding list from ODOT. A revision later in the year set the opening between 2016 and 2019.

Below: A rendering of the new Innerbelt Bridges by the Ohio Department of Transportation.



In September 2010, the project was awarded to Walsh Construction and designer HNTB Ohio Inc. for $287.4 million. The project is being performed using the design-build process, where the design and construction are combined in a single contract, shaving off nearly a year in the design and construction timeline. Construction of a westbound span began on March 30, 2011, with a ceremonial groundbreaking on May 2. The future westbound bridge was named after George V. Voinovich on September 15, and is projected to be complete on October 28, 2013.

Below: Photographs of the construction process over the summer of 2012.

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Cleveland's "Bridge War" and the Columbus Street Span

Cleveland, Ohio's early transportation issues arose from its prominence along Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. While the latter was narrow with numerous sharp bends, it was sufficient to allow for the development of heavy industry along the sometimes wide and expanse valley. The means to cross the river in the early days were regulated to ferries, and it was not until the early 1800s that the first crossing of the river was completed along Central Street - a simple connection of chained, floating logs. It was later improved upon with pontoon boats.

The first real bridge came in 1835, when a wooden span was completed along Columbus Street across the Cuyahoga River at a cost of $15,000. It was a draw bridge to allow for the passage of boats underneath, and was financed by a group of real-estate speculators led by Jas S. Clark who were developing Cleveland Center, a commercial district at the oxbow bend in the Flats. The Columbus Street Bridge allowed for the commercial development of Cleveland at the expense of the then-independent Ohio City.

The bridge was donated to the city of Cleveland on April 18, 1836 - which Ohio City did not take too kindly. To make matters worse, Cleveland demolished a portion of the Central Street bridge in June so that commerce would be forced to use Columbus Street and bypass Ohio City. In return, residents of Ohio City banded together, changing "Two Bridges or None." A group attempted to blow up the Columbus Street span but failed. A mob on October 31, armed with guns and other improvised weapons, damaged the crossing but they were met with resistance from Cleveland Mayor John W. Willey and armed militiamen who injured three Ohio City men. A county sheriff arrived to end the violence and to make arrests. It took a court ruling to force two bridges across the Cuyahoga River.

The next iteration of the bridge came on February 24, 1857 when the city awarded a contract to the Tharcher, Burt & Co. for a Howard Model swing bridge, which had a predicted lifespan of nine to ten years. The estimated cost, $24,000, was split between the county, $6,000, and the city, $18,000, with a completion date of August 1858. But construction was slow, as noted by numerous complaints from residents and property owners nearby. By August 1857, only the northern abutment was finished, with little work progressing on the southern abutment. But the new span did not last; an 1863 inspection noted a large amount of structural deterioration and that it would need to be completely rebuilt. The chords, which supported the bridge, had been placed in a horizontal position which did not leave any room for water to drip out between the layers of plank. On August 7, 1863, one of the chords broke, and a chain was improvised for temporary use. This did not last very long, however, as the remainder of the chords broke when the bridge was swung open a day later at 4:30 PM. As a result, the entire bridge collapsed. While the pier was in good condition, the only item salvageable was the trusses and some of the wood work.

On August 15, 1894, the Columbus Street Bridge was closed to traffic and dismantled for replacement with a double-swing bridge — the first in the world. A contract was awarded to the Mt. Vernon Bridge Company of Ohio to construct the superstructure on October 13, despite the protest of Architect James Ritchie who bid $2,160 higher. The Cleveland Board of Control deemed Mt. Vernon's bid to be informal, whereas Ritchie's was properly submitted, in a meeting held on October 5. The foundation and substructure was awarded to Fisher & Fisher and electrical work to George P. Nichols & Bros. of Chicago. During construction, a temporary pontoon bridge was built after piles were driven into the river and planking laid on top. Stairways led down to the primitive bridge, which extended only half way across the Cuyahoga. A barge, 80 feet in length, completed the crossing. It was pivoted on a pile and swung by a capstan. The temporary crossing opened on August 14, 1894. The new Columbus Street crossing opened to traffic on June 25, 1895, operated by two 25 horsepower dynamos. The bridge design separates in the center, and the two parts swing in opposite directions. The span cost $100,000 to construct.

In May 1939, a public hearing was held in regards to an application by the city for approval by council of plans to construct a new bridge for Columbus Road over the Cuyahoga River as part of the Streamlining Project that sought to eliminate several dangerous curves for boats and to widen the navigation channel. The Columbus Road span, designed by famed Cleveland engineer Wilbur Watson, was a part of the $5.5 million streamlining project that saw the completion of three new lift bridges over the Cuyahoga River.

The northern pier was completed on December 6, 1939, although work was slow to progress on the southern pier due to weather, and a $50-per-day penalty was charged against the Western Foundation Company. While their portion of the project was to have been completed by December 31, 1939, it was not finished until January 18 of the next year. The City Council introduced legislation on March 4 to waive the penalties, citing weather and elements that were out of their control which led to the delay. The Columbus Road span opened two weeks ahead of schedule in 1940, although without paint; the others, the upper West 3rd Street Bridge and Carter Road Bridge, opened on schedule and two weeks behind schedule, respectfully. The bridges were painted soon after the spans were open to traffic; the painting was delayed due to a wet spring. The new crossing provided a 220-foot wide channel and gentler curves, whereas the 1895 swing span provided just 108-feet. This allowed for larger boats to pass through on the Cuyahoga River.

Below: Columbus Road was used as a detour route when the Detroit-Superior Bridge underwent reconstruction in 1967. Photographed March 21, 1967 by Bill Nehez, donated by Joseph E. Cole to the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library, Special Collections.



Below: A view of the west side of the bridge. From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.



Below: A view of the south lift tower from the moveable span catwalk while the bridge is in the down position. From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.



Below: A northward view of the catwalk of the moveable span in the up position. From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.



Below: A view of the moveable span trussing. From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.



Below: An interior glance of the main lift cable sheave inside the machinery room. From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.



Below: Cable and pulley details of the lift mechanism. From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.



Unfortunately, the bridge was ill-maintained in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. A 2002 inspection noted that many of the electrical and mechanical systems were failing, and that structurally, the span was in poor condition. A follow-up inspection in 2007 noted little to no improvement in the bridge. A replacement bridge was pegged at $31 million. In the follow-up, it noted that if the bridge had been properly maintained, a replacement would not even be a consideration. Construction of a $42 million to $49 million partial replacement project for the Columbus Road Bridge was scheduled to begin in November 2011 and take about a year finish. The Ohio Department of Transportation will allocate $25,200,000 in local major bridge program funds, with Cuyahoga County and the city providing $8.4 million. Another $8.4 million is being requested from the Surface Transportation Program (STP). The 1940 iteration of the span was rated in poor to serious condition, and a study of six alternatives — on either rehabilitating the existing span, building a new bridge upstream or eliminating the crossing was performed. It was decided to do a partial reconstruction.

During the reconstruction project, the central lift span will be removed, placed on a barge and moved down to the Cuyahoga River to be dismantled off-site.  Another barge will come up the river with a new lift span. The two lift towers will be repaired, and new mechanical and electrical equipment will be installed. Five-foot bike lanes will be installed, as the route was indicated to be a critical bicycle route into and out of the Flats. During the project, the roadway will be closed to traffic.

Below: Before and after. The before image credit: From Louise Taft Cawood, photographed in July 1986 for the Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The after photograph was taken in the summer of 2012.





Below: Other views of the span from the summer of 2012.

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Cleveland's Detroit-Superior Bridge

The Detroit-Superior Bridge is a 3,112-foot through arch crossing over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio, connecting Detroit Avenue in the west side to Superior Avenue in downtown. In function, it replaced the aging Superior viaduct that was dedicated December 27, 1878.

The first proposal for a high-level bridge across the Cuyahoga River was brought up in the early 1900s as a way to alleviate congestion on the existing Superior Viaduct. City engineer William J. Carter favored the construction of a bridge from Superior Avenue to Franklin Avenue — the Lorain-Huron site, and the diverting of the present Superior Viaduct to serve as a connection between Detroit Avenue and St. Clair Avenue. A government engineer replied that a high level bridge was not necessary if a ban on high masts on lake vessels was enforced, believing that the masts were used mostly for derrick purposes and did not need to be so high.

The first bond issue, in the sum of $2 million, for a high-level bridge along the Superior Avenue route was held in 1905 and was passed 25,695 to 10,972. But it was found that the ordinance was not properly advertised and the vote was declared invalid. The location of the bridge was then questioned, with some advocating for a span from Lorain to Huron Avenue, and the proposition was submitted twice more, each time being defeated.

In February 1908, Mayor Johnson stated that a high level bridge built exclusively for streetcars would be one of the connecting links between the west and east sides but did not believe that it would serve as an immediate solution of the problem, which was the rebuilding of the Superior Viaduct into a high-level span for cars. Detailed estimates were prepared but the ability to pay for the bridge was in question. An idea to shift the burden of construction to the county was discussed, which would allow the county to hold a general bond issue that would require a simple 50% majority vote - unlike the city issue that required a two-thirds majority. But a county bond issue ultimately failed later that year.

A final route was decided upon in July 1910 along the Detroit - Superior alignment, but it was immediately opposed by various groups that it would be a duplicate of two existing bridges. An injunction was filed but dismissed, as were the subsequent appeals. In early February 1909, Assistant City Solicitor Wilkin proposed to let a bond of $2.5 million for a high level bridge. City councilman Schwartzer believed that it would be met with favor since the city was reluctant to spend over a million dollars to repair the existing viaducts.

Plans for a high level bridge to replace the Superior Bridge were submitted on March 30. The estimated cost of a high level span would be $1,374,779, and if the cost would be significantly over, the bond issue could be safely revoked.The proposed crossing would be erected just north of the present Superior Viaduct, and consist of numerous steel arches incased in concrete with columns extending from the arches to the floor, also of steel incased in concrete. The river crossing would be a steel arch with a span of 300 feet, allowing for a channel of 250 feet and a clearance of 93 feet. The bridge deck would be 58 feet wide with two 9.5 foot sidewalks.

The bond issue for the Superior Viaduct replacement failed, 17,992 for and 20,898 against.

A tentative plan and profile for a steel bridge across the Cuyahoga River valley was prepared by architect and engineer John Eisenmann in January 1910. The proposed span would connect Superior Avenue and Detroit Avenue, requiring the condemnation of the Atwater Building at Columbus Road and Superior Avenue just south of the present entrance to the Superior Viaduct. The bridge would proceed westward and swing to the south and reach the west side of the river directly over a portion of Detroit Avenue that descended to the river. It would require the condemnation of several structures at West 25th Street and Detroit Avenue, with a western terminus at a traffic circle. In August, Mayor Johnson proposed a committee of six, composed of representatives of four of the leading civic organizations, to prepare a report on the replacement viaduct over the Cuyahoga River.

A report by the High Level Bridge Commission in June recommended that the Superior Viaduct be sold to the Cleveland Railway Company for the exclusive use by streetcars. According to their plan, Superior Avenue and Detroit Avenue would be linked by a new high level bridge designed for automobiles and pedestrians. The Commission recommended that the new bridge start at Detroit Avenue at the crest of a hill, cross the Cuyahoga River in a northeast direction, go over the Commercial Milling Company's mill, turn to follow Merwin Avenue to James Avenue where it would proceed east, cross the Erie railroad and depot, and connect to Superior Avenue at the Atwater Building. The Commission also recommended that the Superior Viaduct be rebuilt as a high level bridge to carry four streetcar tracks.

If only one bridge could be feasibly constructed, the Commission urged that the Superior Viaduct be rebuilt. To pay for the span, the county proposed a tax on all taxable property in the county. On November 8, the county bridge issue was carried by a majority vote — 33,957 for and 17,938 against.

On January 3, 1911, the county chose the location of the new Detroit-Superior Bridge after a conference with representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Industry, Builders Exchange, Federation of Labor and the city. Every major business interest was in favor of a Detroit-Superior route sans the Chamber of Commerce, who preferred a Superior-Detroit route, stating that it would parallel existing facilities and be an unnecessary financial burden. The Chamber desired a bridge midway between the Superior and Central Viaducts.

The new bridge was proposed to be 3,150 feet long with a width that varied from 81.6 feet at center to 94.9 feet at the approaches, with a right-of-way of 120 feet. A ten-foot buffer would be cleared to prevent business owners from constructing structures and gain access to the span other than the approaches. The center span over the Cuyahoga River was also proposed to be a 665-foot cantilever truss. The bridge was designed with three concrete arches west of the river and nine east of the river, the longest with a clear span of 174 feet, the shortest at 58 feet. Each concrete arch had four arch ribs to support the beam and slab streetcar deck on heavy spandrel columns, spaced 10 feet apart on center. The spandrel columns continued above the lower deck to support the roadway, also of beam and slab construction. Arch no. 12, between piers no. 11 and no. 12, required a different design due to its travel over the Big Four Railroad. Instead of centering, which would interfere with the railroad, a high rise curve using three hinged steel arches for both the erection and reinforcement was used.

The ratification of the site was made on February 4 in a public meeting at the courthouse. One of the only opponents of the bridge was the Walton Realty Company, owner of a 120-foot strip of land that was in the path of the new bridge. The Lake Shore Railway also voiced concern that the viaduct would prevent the construction of a large joint warehouse which had been proposed along the river for the Big Four and Baltimore & Ohio Railroads.

On February 29, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed off on the bridge. On March 23, the first contract was awarded for test bearings, and the first bridge bonds were put on sale on June 28. A commission to appraise property included within the right-of-way was appointed on July 1. On May 4, 1912, a contract was awarded to the O'Rourke Engineering and Construction Company for the construction of two main piers. The bridge would be built under the direction of W.A. Stinchcomb and A.W. Zesiger, and K.D. Cowen, engineer of construction.

The Chamber of Commerce desired the streetcar tracks on the upper level and automobiles and pedestrians on the lower level, and to eliminate one pier that would prevent a planned improvement of the Cuyahoga River to remove a bend, according to comments they made in September 1913. It also requested that the bridge be raised even higher, which was at present 83 feet over the channel. The Chamber also criticized the change from caisson to cofferdam construction. The county was opposed to the modification of the design of the bridge, but was open to the idea of removing a pier.

Work on the Detroit-Superior Bridge was scheduled to progress without the construction of subways along Detroit Avenue and West 25th Street on the west side of the Cuyahoga, and in Superior Avenue around Public Square on the east side. The subways were suggested to connect into the bridge as a way to avoid congestion at the terminals of the bridge. But people on the west side of the bridge were regarded as "hostile"  when the discussion of subways was brought up that the matter was dropped. The main opposition was on the ground property valuations of real estate in the vicinity of Detroit Avenue and West 25th Street that would depreciate due to the distance from the subway station, according to property owners. The entrance on Detroit Avenue would be at the corner of West 29th Street and that on West 25th Street would be near Church Avenue. The property owners urged the bridge to be completed as originally planned, as did W.J. Hunkin of the Hunkin-Conkey Construction Company. The money saved could be used for another high level bridge, they stated. But the company was instructed to sink the foundations deep enough at the ends of the bridge to permit the building of the subways in later years.

Construction on the arches began by the King Bridge Company in the fall of 1912. A report on January 22, 1913 reported that excavation for the east river pier had been completed and that the bottom was being leveled for concrete. By November 1, 1913 work started on two caisson piers on the west side of the river and seven concrete pile piers on the east side. Construction was expedited at a cost of $2,500 to the county, and additional machinery and workers were brought in to allow for the erection of six of the secondary piers at once instead of four.

By July 18, 1914, the caisson construction for piers no. 1 and 2 was underway, and excavation for pier no. 3 had started. Piers no. 4 and 9 were complete, and concrete piles had been driven for pier no. 5. Test piles for pier no. 8 were down and concrete piles were about to be driven. That work was nearly completed by December 11, 1914, nearly half of the time required.

It was originally intended that the sequence of work begin on the easterly end of the steel span and proceed eastward, however, it could not be done because the erection of the center span across the river was already started by the King Bridge Company, who had subcontracted its erection to the Ferro Construction Company of Chicago. in conjunction with the completion of the arch ribs by Hunkin-Conkey. It was decided to work with the second arch east of the steel span, between Piers 5 and 6, and progress eastward. This would produce considerable strain on Pier 5, but it was predicted that the soil pressure was safe within limits.

In the winter of 1915, one rib of a 145-foot concrete arch span cracked and was discovered on May 1, 1916. An examination of the crack found that water had intruded and froze, most likely during the pouring. An excess of water in the concrete may have been the cause, and the material, improperly worked, could not shed the water. It was not a tension crack as there was no tension at that point. The span, which was poured on May 27, 1915, was connected to Pier 5 that was being watched for any horizontal or tipping movement. Only the arch ribs were built between Piers 5 and 6, and the arch ribs and first floor between Piers 6 and 7, which increased the load further on Pier 5. It was discovered that Pier 5 was moving westward due to an unbalanced load on the pier, and advanced so much as to threaten the structural stability of the uncompleted bridge. It was at this point that King Bridge had lowered the steel arch into place and had released the backstays that extended from Pier 4 to Pier 5. The lower chords of those stays consisted of lattice girders, and it was decided to use those girders as struts between Piers 4 and 5 to prevent any further movement of Pier 5.

Pier 6 was also shifting with Pier 5. But the first floor on the arches between Piers 5 and 6 proceeded, which increased the load on the arches and evened out the load, leading to no further movement of Pier 5; Pier 6 began to move eastward.

Below: Construction progress, photograph taken by Hunkin-Conkey Construction Co., October 25, 1916. A portion of arch no. 12 can be seen.

A saw mill and framing yard was built to construct the forms for the arches, with materials transported via the cableways. The east span was built with the use of a double cableway with a span between the towers measuring 1,200 feet. The steel towers were 130 feet and 180 feet high, and the main cable was 2.5 inches in diameter. Each cableway could hold eight tons, but in emergencies could hold 12.5 tons. Materials for the west approach were hauled via the Cuyahoga River, and then hauled up a 12% grade along Detroit Avenue to the hill on the west end of the site via motor trucks that were then novelties.

By the spring of 1915, the west approach was nearly completed. Construction then proceeded on the 90-foot steel towers for the center Pratt truss. The towers were built with the aid of a gin pole, which was then dismantled and used for the identical east tower. Eyebar backstays held the half-arches in place until they were joined in the center. Work then started on the center truss, comprised of nickel and carbon steel, over the river on July 29 and was completed on October 8. On that day, the two arms were lowered beginning at 10:30 AM, and the arch was closed at 2:23 PM after a two-hour intermission. There was a gap of 1/8-inch, which was adjusted via a cable.

The plan to construct inclines for the streetcars to approach grade-level from the bridge was abandoned in February 1916 after the city planning commission agreed on plans to construct a subway, several hundred feet in length at each approach, to reduce interference with automobile traffic. On the east side, the subway continued for 185 feet to a point on Superior Avenue at West 9th Street. On the west side, one subway continued west under Detroit Avenue to West 28th Street for 725 feet, and another south beneath West 25th Street to Church Avenue for 560 feet.

Below: The subway entrance along Superior Avenue. Photograph by Office of the Cuyahoga County Engineer.

Four pedestrian entrances were located at Detroit Avenue and West 25th Street — one located in the Forest City Building on the southwest corner, and one on the south side of Superior Avenue at the bridge's east approach. The stations above ground were built as small, wood-framed buildings with hipped roofs. Below ground, they featured white glazed tile walls with recessed lighting, a waiting area, boarding platform and public toilets. Tunnels under the tracks at both stations gave access to east-, west- and south-bound trains.

Below: Photograph by Office of the Cuyahoga County Engineer.

By December 22, 1917, the lower deck was nearly prepared for regular streetcar use. Work cars were running on the bridge conducting final preparations for regular use by Christmas.

The Detroit-Superior Bridge was dedicated for traffic on Thanksgiving Day 1917 at a cost of $5,407,000 million. No ceremony was held as it was during wartime. The first streetcar crossed on Christmas eve, carrying 50 prominent officials, including the Cleveland mayor. The car left the West 25th Street station and headed east shortly before 4 PM. The mayor proclaimed that Cleveland was "getting more and more like New York."

The completion of the span marked the first fixed high-level crossing, and the third high level span across the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. It was the largest steel and concrete reinforced bridge in the world and led to a real estate boom in Cleveland's west side and Lakewood.

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CONT.

By 1927, there was a proposal to pave and use a portion of the streetcar track on the lower level for automobile use. Automobiles had grown in popularity and in response, county bridge engineer Felgate stated that an unused portion of the lower deck could be converted into a roadway at a cost of $1.1 million and could accommodate 4,400 automobiles per hour. The Cleveland Times noted that it could provide relief to the "almost hopeless traffic congestion."  But no work progressed. By 1930, the Detroit-Superior Bridge carried 70,400 vehicles per day and was one of the busiest in the United States. Traffic was slightly relieved with the opening of the Lorain-Cernegie Bridge and the Main Avenue Bridge within the decade.

The construction of Bulkley Boulevard necessitated the reconfiguration of the west approach, and the wooden subway house on the northeast corner of Detroit Avenue and West 25th Street was demolished in 1939. In addition, a stairwell was relocated and a new sandstone subway house was built. But by 1946, the subway stations and the entrances at street level had become deteriorated and vandalized. A December 1953 proposal by Mayor Celebreeze called for the lower deck to be converted into an auto-only thoroughfare, but it was dismissed by county engineer Albert S. Porter as "engineered murder."  A trial roadway was implemented for a short time, though, in February 1954.

Below: Southeast end of the bridge, taken by Herbert H. Harwood, Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland in January 1954.

Below: A view of the lower level in mid-1978. Photograph taken by John T. "Jet" Lowe for the HAER in mid-1978.

Below: A view of the bridge in the early 1950s.

But the streetcar was not long for the city. The last "free ride"  celebration from Public Square to West 65th Street and Bridge Avenue, which crossed the Detroit-Superior, was held on January 24, 1954. The last streetcar on the Detroit Avenue line had run several years prior on August 25, 1951, and the last car on the West 25th Street line had run on August 15, 1953. In May 1955, the city council passed an emergency ordnance that granted the city the right to fill in the streetcar wells. In November, the open wells were filled with gravel and paved over. The spandrel arches closest to the approaches were sealed with cinder blocks, and the stairwells to the subways were closed and covered up, with the station houses removed.

In 1965, the county hired consulting engineers to inspect and conduct a rehabilitation study of the Detroit-Superior that concluded that "because of age and corrosive atmosphere, the bridge deteriorated to the point that normal maintenance is no longer adequate and the structural stability of some members has become questionable."  The upper deck slab and sidewalk had failed in some areas and been covered with steel plates. From 1967 to May 1969, the span was rehabilitated at a cost of $6 million that added to two new traffic lanes to the bridge. The width of the bridge increased from 44.9 feet to 72 feet, and the sidewalks reduced from 15 feet to 5 feet. The extra auto lanes were added by cantilevering the new lanes on the outside of the central arch. The roadway deck and sidewalk was rehabilitated, and new railings and lighting fixtures were replaced. The ornamental pylons were removed.

Below: Photographs taken by John T. "Jet" Lowe for the HAER in mid-1978.

The Detroit-Superior Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 1974. On November 11, 1989, Veterans Day, the Detroit-Superior Bridge was renamed the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

On September 9, 2002, Cuyahoga County Commissioners tentatively approved the conversion of the two outside traffic lanes added in 1969 for pedestrian and bicycle use. The converted lanes will contain a wide pedestrian promenade, sheltered seating, racks and public art. It received final approval in July 2003. The project will cost $2.7 million, with 80% of the funding coming from the federal Transportation Enhancement program, distributed by the Northeast Ohio AReawide Coordinating Agency. The city paid for the remainder. The design was paid for by a grant from The Gund and Cleveland foundations to Cleveland Public Art. Construction began in 2004 after your years of planning.

The lower level and subway stations are opened to the public for tours free of charge on certain days of the year.

Below: More recent photographs.

A more detailed history of the planning, construction and current status of the Detroit-Superior Bridge can be found after the jump »

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Cuyahoga River Bridges

The long history of the Cuyahoga River crossings in Cleveland, Ohio date back over two centuries - much of it not documented. From a "bridge war" to squabbles over financing to never-used rapid-transit levels on existing bridges, Cleveland has an astounding amount of bridges of all types - high-level viaducts, vertical lifts, swings, jackknifes and more from varying years. Below is a guide to the Cuyahoga River's bridges in order from its mouth at Lake Erie southward towards the LTV complex:

No. 1: Penn Central Bridge

The Penn-Central Bridge crosses near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River and was constructed in 1958 at a cost of $5 million. The bridge was built with a 250-foot wide navigation channel and a lift span that could raise 98 feet. It replaced an earlier span for the former Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railway (C&P). Financing was provided by the Pennsylvania and New York Central, along with the federal government as part of the $55 million Cuyahoga River streamlining project to remove navigation obstacles and to widen the shipping channel.

Below: A Norfolk Southern train is approaching the lift span.

No. 2: B&O Whiskey Island Bridge (Old Channel)

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) Whisky Island Bridge spans the old channel of the Cuyahoga. The original B&O bridge was a wing-type swing span that was constructed in 1897. It's minute size, which limited crossings to ten-ton cars, hampered the industrial growth of Whisky Island. The bridge afforded a channel width of only 140 feet, which hindered river navigation.

In September 1905, the B&O announced that a new bridge at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River would be constructed to widen the shipping channel and to remove any obstacle to river navigation. The new bridge was proposed to be a rolling lift with a clear width of 210 feet. Considered a novelty at the time, the rolling lift bridge would raise on one end into the air, supported by a counterbalance on the front end. The new span was designed by the Scherzer Rolling Lift Company under the preparations of J.E. Greiner, Chief Engineer.

The railroad made available $180,000 towards the construction. It was part of a major construction project along the Newcastle division, which included constructing cut-offs, straightening and lowering the grade, and double-tracking to improve reliability of service and to increase track speeds. In addition, $1.75 million was spent towards the construction of a new low grade from Lodi to Sullivan, and a second track from Sullivan to Nova, a distance of 25.5 miles. With the double tracking, the B&O line was improved from Pittsburg to Hamler. Originally, it was contemplated to only double track the existing line between Sterling to Lodi at a cost of $1.25 million, but increased business necessitated further improvements.

The steel was fabricated by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland and erected by the Pittsburgh Construction Company. When it was completed in 1907, the bridge afforded a 230-foot span with a clear channel width of 210 feet and was the longest single-leaf Scherzer ever constructed, a feat never improved upon. In 1949, the Chamber of Commerce backed a study at the request of Cleveland's industrial and business interests to construct a lift span for the B&O. The estimated cost of such a bridge would be $4,250,000. It was never completed.

Below: The Whiskey Island Bridge is located behind the Main Avenue bridge in a raised position.

Willow Avenue Bridge (Old Channel)

The Willow Avenue Bridge is a lift span that crosses the old channel of the Cuyahoga. It is the largest such bridge along the river.

The first iteration of the crossing was a swing span with a main span of 170 feet that was constructed in 1898. The first mention of a replacement span came in 1949 when the Chamber of Commerce backed a study at the request of Cleveland's industrial and business interests to construct a lift span. The estimated cost of such a bridge was $3.2 million.

A vertical lift bridge was designed by Trygve Hoff and Associates with a main span length of 320 feet, and a rise of 98 feet that can be completed in just 1.5 minutes. The first authorization for funds, at $400,000, was approved on November 28, 1960; the federal government would provide the remainder as part of an Army Corps of Engineering project to improve river navigation of the Cuyahoga River. Bids for construction were opened on May 22, 1963.

The new span, the largest over the Cuyahoga River with a river channel of 200 feet, contained 1,400 tons of steel and 30 tons of self-gripping bolts manufactured by Lamson & Sessions of Brooklyn. It was erected by the Engels Steel Construction Company of Alabama. The new Willow Avenue Bridge cost $3.8 million and opened on April 1, 1965.

Main Avenue Bridge

The first Main Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1869 and was one of the first iron bridges in the city. It featured a 200-foot swing span pivoted from a central pier. The bridge was rebuilt in 1885 to be operated by steam. In 1915, the bridge was repaired and moved slightly to allow for longer approaches for the larger vessels that were now moving up the Cuyahoga. By 1943, the swing span was being operated over 9,000 times per year. It was demolished in 1947 when it was declared obsolete due to the completion of the Main Avenue high-level bridge.

Plans for a Main Avenue high-level viaduct were first formulated in 1930, and in November, a $6 million bond issue was passed by voters towards the construction of a bridge. The Great Depression postponed any construction, but with the formation of the Public Works Administration, a new source of financing was available.

Ground was broken on May 12, 1938 for a 5,920-foot viaduct. Including ramps, the bridge stretched for 8,000 feet. From the western end, the bridge featured five steel spans 200 feet long, followed by two spans of 240 feet each, and then a span of 320 feet. The east ramp across railroad tracks, consisting of a three four-span plate girders, were each 270.8 feet in length, the largest built in the United States at that time. The concrete piers of the river span were anchored in blue clay 45 feet below the riverbed, and stood 100 feet from the river's edge to allow for future widening of the channel.

On April 25, 1939, a golden rivet was driven that linked the east and west sides of the bridge. The bridge was dedicated later that year on October 6 to more than a thousand people. It was completed at a cost of $7.5 million. The bridge received the an American Institute of Steel Construction Honorable Mention for its design. The Main Avenue Bridge was rehabilitated in 1978.

Below: Various scenes of the Main Avenue Bridge (SR 2), painted in a crisp blue.

Superior Viaduct

Prior to the Civil War, the need for a high-level crossing of the Cuyahoga River was needed. The first proposal came in 1835 by Oliver P. Baldwin, an editor with the Cleveland Daily Advertiser, who advocated such a bridge to facilitate easier "communication"  between Cleveland and Ohio City. Baldwin advocated for an arch bridge, supported by stone piers, that would be 120 feet wide with room for railroads, a common road, and widewalks with iron railings. He went on to elaborate the need for apartments, offices, stores and warehouses that would rise from the ground to the top of the arch, and the need for the bridge to be high enough to allow any masts or rigging of any vessel to pass underneath.

In April 1870, a lecture by J. F. Holloway at East Side High School involved the presentation of a plan for a high level bridge, which included an estimated cost and a survey of traffic that crossed the Cuyahoga at Main, Center, Columbus and West Third streets (then Seneca Street). A year later, the city declared that it was "powerless"  to undertake such a project. R. B. Dennis, of the Ohio House of Representatives, introduced a bill that authorized the building of the bridge. While it passed in the House, it failed in the Senate.

Advocates for the bridge had the support of the Cleveland Leader, while opponents had the support of the Cleveland Herald. The Herald warned that the city could not afford a debt of $2 million for the bridge.

A resolution was put forth to the City Council on April 18, 1871 to form a committee to select a bridge location, which was adopted on May 8. At that time, the U.S. Corps of Engineers noted a desire for a swing span for navigational purposes. A petition was also presented that called for two carriageways, streetcar tracks and sidewalks, signed by F. W. Pelton and 67 others. During the summer, surveys were conducted to determine the best route. One plan included the connection of Ohio Street (Central Avenue) to the east with Lorain Street to the west.

Note: Interestingly enough, one of the least preferred routes of the suggested was one that was later adopted by the >Lorain-Carnegie Bridge, a span that never carried its predicted traffic volumes and one that never carried rapid transit, even though it was designed for it.

A meeting held on April 22 contained traffic projections of 15,240 pedestrians and 4,671 teams of horses. A two-cent toll would be imposed. In January 1872, a bill was passed that granted permission to build the viaduct — a decision that was mocked by the Cleveland Herald.

A resolution was introduced on January 30 that proposed the railroad tracks be laid to the site to assist in the movement of construction materials. The bill for permission to build the viaduct had to be rewritten — which also included the measure to abandoned the Ohio Canal in the vicinity of the bridge. The "east siders"  were opposed to the measure, but Judge Coffinberry argued in favor of the bridge, noting that the city was growing and that the existing spans were already inadequate. The new bill was adopted on April 27 — but left out the tolling authorization, which would be left up to the voters.

During this time, two new routes were surveyed, one from Superior Avenue and Water Street (West 9th Street) to Pearl (West 25th Street) and Franklin, and the other from Superior and Union Lane (West 10th Street) to Pearl (West 25th Street) and Detroit - second one was recommended and ultimately acted upon. In April, the proposal for the bridge was sent to popular vote, and it was approved 7,548 to 2,623. The estimated cost of the span was $759,328.78. But in January 18 of 1873, a protest signed by influential members of the city claimed that the cost was too high and that the bridge could be built for far less. A similar complaint was filed on February 11. Both had no effect.

On August 19, an ordinance authorizing an issue of $117,893 in bonds for land acquisition was defeated by a single vote. Citizens of the west side submitted a petition to the City Council for their reconsideration, which was signed by over 4,000. Ultimately, the push worked and land acquisition proceeded. On October 7, E. W. Ensign was awarded a contract for masonry construction with a bid of $512,720. Ensign was a Berea, Ohio quarry owner and contractor. Sherman and Flager constructed the masonry piers.

But even after $500,00 had been spent on construction, resolutions were submitted to abandon the project. From 1870 to 1878, petitions from the east side claimed that the taxes would be excessive. Petitions from the west side claimed that business would "deflect"  to the east side. Injunctions and objections led to several bridge modifications. The first was the widening of the roadway, from 50 feet to 64 feet due to a petition on March 16, 1875. The rationale was that business houses could be built on each side of the stone arches. The change cost was $2.2 million, with the cost of the bridge alone amounting to just $1.6 million. Because of the change, additional bonds were needed and it went to the voters on May 4, 1876, which worked out in favor with a vote of 6,863 to 3,181.

On December 21, 1875, the City Council asked the Legislature to authorized the collection of tolls not to exceed three cents for a single team of horses and five cents for a double team of horses. A resolution submitted on April 18, 1876 by Horatio C. Ford asked that tolls be collected for only the first twenty years. Another resolution was filed on December 5, 1876 on the issue of tolls, but no action was taken. Construction on the Superior Viaduct began in March 1875 with the driving of timber piles 20 feet deep into the clay. The first blocks for the arches were laid on May 20. From the western approach, there were eight masonry arches of 83-foot span and two arches of 97.5-foot span. The masonry work was 1,382 feet in length and 72 feet in height. It required more than two million cubic feet of sandstone. As the arches were being completed, there was minor settling of two to five inches.

The center included an iron pivot swing span, 332 feet in length. The eastern approach featured a continuous plate girder bridge of three 162-foot spans, two 145-foot spans and one 160-foot span. The iron and swing spans were built by Claflin and Sheldon, while the iron railing was constructed by Lauderback and Company.

The Superior Viaduct was opened on December 27, 1878 at a cost of $1,574,921.32. The right-of-way alone cost $600,000. In the proceeding opening ceremony, the two proponents of the bridge, Henry Wood and Beldon Seymour, stood at opposite ends of the viaduct and walked towards the center where they shook hands. A parade that took 20 minutes to pass only added to the pomp of the opening day. Several years after the bridge was completed, the city attempted to open the river channel west of the center pier of the iron drawspan, but pier eight began to settle and the channel work was stopped. By 1909, the swing span was opened 3,600 times per year, or 300 times a month. It took four to six minutes to open or close.(1)

The Superior Viaduct was closed to traffic in 1918 after the Detroit-Superior Bridge opened. The viaduct was condemned in 1920 and two years later, the central river span was demolished with 150 pounds of dynamite.

Below: Photographs of the viaduct in relation to other spans and its environment.

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(part 2)

Center Street Bridge

The Center Street Bridge is the only swing bridge in the region. The crossing was once part of the "Bridge War"  that involved the Columbus Road Bridge, when that was donated to the city of Cleveland on April 18, 1836. To make matters worse for Ohio City, Cleveland demolished a portion of the Center Street Bridge in June so commerce would be forced to use Columbus Street and bypass Ohio City. In retribution, Ohio City residents rallied together, chanting "Two Bridges or None."  A group attempted to detonate black powder but this failed to take down the bridge. On October 31, a mob armed with guns and other improvised weapons damaged the Columbus Street Bridge, but was met with Cleveland Mayor John W. Willey and armed militiamen who soon seriously injured three men. A county sheriff arrived to end the violence and to make arrests. It took a court ruling to force two bridges across the Cuyahoga River.

The present swing span was constructed in 1901 with a main span length of 249.8 feet, affording a channel clearance width of 122 feet. The rim-bearing swing was constructed by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, with L. B. and J. A. Smith Company acting as contractors for the substructure. Originally, the pivot was located in the middle of the channel, which was later moved to the north bank. The bridge closed on July 19, 2010 for a year-long repair project that included repairing the bridge deck, sidewalks and electrical and mechanical components. The $2.6 million project was awarded to Great Lakes Construction Company of Hinckley, Ohio in early May and was completed in June 2011.

Detroit-Superior Bridge

The Detroit-Superior Bridge is a 3,112-foot through arch bridge over the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio. Connecting Detroit Avenue in the west side of the city to Superior Avenue in downtown, the crossing was built by the King Bridge Company from 1914 to 1917.

In function, it replaced the aging Superior viaduct that was dedicated December 27, 1878.

This bridge was covered in an .

Cleveland Union Terminal Viaduct

The Cleveland Union Terminal Viaduct was constructed for Terminal Tower. The Union Terminal served four railroads: New York Central, Nickel Plate, Baltimore & Ohio (after 1934), and Erie (after 1949). As part of the development, a  17-mile grade-separated passenger train right-of-way was developed from Collinwood in the east to Linndale on the west, crossing into the city on a 3,450-foot viaduct. It entered into the terminal via 12 underground platforms.

Columbus Road Bridge

The Columbus Road crossing in the Flats is the fifth span at the site of Cleveland's first permanent bridge. It was also involved in the short lived "Bridge War." This bridge is currently scheduled for partial reconstruction due to advanced structural deterioration.

The Columbus Road crossing was covered in an earlier post.

No. 8: New York Central Lift Bridge

The New York Central Lift Bridge (Cuyahoga River Bridge No. 8), located in the Flats district, crosses the Cuyahoga between Columbus Road and Carter Road. The first crossing at that site was for the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, later known as the "Big Four"  when the line was extended to Indianapolis. When it was stretched further west to St. Louis, the railroad became known as the C. C. C. & St. L. The 1902 Scherzer Rolling Lift bridge featured a clear channel opening of 107 feet.

A contract for the construction of a lift span was awarded on November 3, 1950 and announced by Col. Herman W. Schull Jr., Buffalo District Engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers. The new span was designed by Howard, Needles, Tammen and Bergendoff. The $1.5 million contract included foundation work for the Bates & Rogers Construction Corporation of Chicago for $432,034 and the superstructure for the Mount Vernon Bridge Company of Ohio for $1,106,395, which included the machinery. The erection was handled by the McDowell Company of Cleveland. Electrical work was performed by Dingle-Clark. The cost of the entire span, including the planning and the removal of the old bridge, was projected to be near $2 million.

Under the River and Harbor Act of 1946, the federal government financed most of the cost of the new bridge as part of a $50 million river and harbor improvement project begun in 1937. The new vertical lift was set to replace the old bridge No. 8. The new bridge was designed to provide a horizontal opening of 200 feet. With such improvements, vessel sizes could increase from 540-foot long ships to 700-foot long vessels.

The new bridge was built upon 60 steel H piles. The lower ends of the piles were driven more than 100 feet below the surface of the river. The towers extended 160 feet into the air, Construction was delayed when the two 135 hp motors for the bridge were diverted to the Navy for defense needs. The bridge, delayed for six months, did not open until March 3, 1953. It received the American Institute of Steel Construction Award of Merit for the most beautiful bridge in its class.

Below: The New York Central Lift Bridge is to the bottom right.

Below: The New York Central Lift Bridge is at the top of the photograph.

Below: Today's operator, operating to serve one customer in the Flats. A far cry from the bustling industries that were located in the valley.

 

No. 5: Big Four Railroad Bridge

The abandoned vertical lift span adjacent to the Carter Road Bridge was built for the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, or the "Big Four."  In 1906, the "Big Four"  was acquired by the New York Central, operating it as a separate entity until 1930. It then became a part of Penn Central in 1968 and then Conrail.

The first railroad crossing at that site, known as Cuyahoga River Bridge No. 5, was constructed in 1902 for the "Big Four"  Railroad, and incorporated a Scherzer Rolling Lift.

At 10 AM on September 28, 1955, the new New York Central Bridge opened at a cost of $3 million. The new vertical lift span, which contained 1,410 tons of structural steel, increased the vertical clearance another 80 feet. The project received the American Institute of Steel Construction Award of Merit for the most beautiful bridge in its class. The electrical contractors were Dingle-Clark and the steel fabricators were McDowell Wellman. Under the River and Harbor Act of 1946, the federal government financed most of the cost of the new bridge as part of a $50 million river and harbor improvement project. The new crossing had a vertical clearance of 260 feet and a clear channel of 200 feet, and the lifting mechanism was worked by two 135 horsepower motors at the top of the two girders.

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(part 3)

Carter Road Bridge

The Carter Road crossing over the Cuyahoga River in the Flats was constructed from 1939 to 1940, and replaced the lower and middle West Third Street Bridge that were demolished as part of the Terminal Tower complex construction and the Collision Bend Cut 5A project.

Carter Road, named after Lorenzo Carter, Cleveland's first permanent settler, has long been the site of a crossing over the Cuyahoga River. The first span was constructed in 1853, but collapsed just four years later after it was overloaded with cattle. A new replacement was built, replaced in 1888 by an iron swing bridge with a pivot span of 180 feet and one fixed span of 105 feet. The fourth bridge was a Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge that was completed in 1903, the first of its kind in the city. It featured a double-leaf drawspan 138 feet in length, with a 23-foot wide roadway and two six-foot sidewalks.

In 1939, a public hearing was held in regards to an application by the city for approval by council of plans to construct a new bridge for Carter Road over the Cuyahoga River as part of the $5.5 million Streamlining Project that sought to eliminate several dangerous curves for boats and to widen the navigation channel. A new crossing of the Cuyahoga River at Carter Road would be sufficient for those requirements and would replace the aging lower and middle West Third Street Bridge. Specifically, the project was referred to as the Collision Bend Cut 5A project.

A vertical lift span was designed by Wilbur, Watson and Associates. Bids were received on January 12, 1939 and divided into 12 subitems. A $158,000 contract for the caissons on the substructure was awarded to the low-bidder Lombardo Bros. Construction Company of Cleveland. Part of that contract was sublet to the Western Foundation Company of Chicago for $110,000. Superstructure contracts were awarded on April 12 to the Mt. Vernon Bridge Company, to be erected by the Bass Construction Company. Construction was scheduled to be complete by May 15, 1940.

On February 20, violent protests by two councilmen from southwest wards held up a city council approval of the purchase of $150,000 worth of property along the Cuyahoga River for the river straightening and Carter Road Bridge project. The councilmen, Ray C. Miller and Harold H. Waldenmaier, stated that the new bridge was inadequate from the south.

Concrete piers were poured, each comprising of six 30-inch steel cylinders 140 feet in length, supplemented by steel batter piles and a steel pile enclosure.

A December 6 account of the bridge construction noted that it was well ahead of schedule, and that the north tower was almost ready for the installation of the lifting equipment. The south tower construction had just started. By February 1, 1940, erection of the steel to form the towers was well ahead of schedule, and the joining of the towers with the Pratt through truss was completed in mid-February.

On March 4, the Republican Floor Leader Herman H. Finkle halted all consideration of the Cuyahoga River improvement projects by the city council finance committee, pending an investigation of the contracts involved with the substructure of the new Carter Road span. Finkle asserted that Lombardo profited $48,000 on the subletting of the contract, and that there was a collusion. Lombardo replied that it had lost some money on the sub-contract because it had to pay more for some materials than it was getting for them from the Western Foundation Company. George B. Sowers, consulting engineer on the Cuyahoga River Streamlining Project, stated that Finkle was given misinformation and that he was "deliberately" making trouble for the city.

The Carter Road span opened two weeks behind schedule in June 1940, and featured a 220-foot wide channel with a 201 foot clear channel. The Carter Road Bridge was rehabilitated in 1989. A 2005 inspection of the bridge, however, noted that while the bridge was in good condition, its machinery and electrical equipment was outdated and that many moving parts exhibited severe wear and tear or deterioration. The counterweights suffered so much deterioration that they required outright replacement.

On March 16, 2009, the city passed an ordnance that allowed the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency to seek funds in the approximate amount of $2.5 million that would go towards the rehabilitation of the Carter Road Bridge. The preliminary engineering was estimated at $270,000. The project would be financed with 80% from Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds, with Cleveland providing the non-federal share of construction at $446,000. The project wold address counterweight and cable issues, and see the improvement of lighting and signal systems for navigational traffic, the installation of new safety gates, paint touch up at the salt zone level, and the proper seating of the bridge and the installation of new approaches. The rehabilitation project began in May 2010.

Below: The Big Four Railroad Bridge is the rust-stained span next to the blue Carter Road Bridge.

Below: Photographs of the Big Four Railroad Bridge and the Carter Road Bridge from Louise Taft Cawood, July 1986, Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

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(part 4)

Eagle Avenue Bridge

The Eagle Avenue Bridge was the first lift span to be completed in Cleveland, crossing the Cuyahoga and connecting to a viaduct that rose out of the Flats and into downtown. The lift span operated until 2005 when the viaduct was demolished.

The Eagle Avenue Bridge and Viaduct replaced the middle West Third Street Bridge, which featured a double Scherzer lift. Opened in 1908, it featured a channel opening of 116.2 feet. Financed by the Van Sweringen brothers as part of the Union Terminal project, the Eagle Avenue Bridge was designed to funnel traffic from the Flats up to downtown, which was on significant elevation.

Waddell-Hardesty Company of New York were the designing engineers, headed by F. L. Gorman, while Spencer, White & Prentiss of Detroit were the general contractors, headed by Noah H. Suloff. The resident engineer was G. Brooks Earnest. Construction was completed by McMyler Interstate of Bedford, Ohio and Walsh Construction Company, with steel sourced from Strobel Steel Construction Company. The first steel was erected on January 30, 1928 and last rivet was placed in the bridge in November.

The bridge's ownership was transferred from the Sweringens to the city on January 8, 1929 and the Eagle Avenue Bridge opened to traffic in 1931. It was the first vertical lift span in Cleveland and the sixth in the nation.

Cracks were discovvered in the lifting mechanism in May 1987 which required a six week closure. A $2.5 million repair project contract was awarded in September 1989 to the American Bridge Company, and was to be completed in August 1990, but did not reopen until late August 1991 at a cost of more than $3 million. In 2005, the Eagle Avenue viaduct was demolished as it had deteriorated. The lift bridge was allowed to remain intact, however, there is no current use for the disconnected bridge. The city of Cleveland proposed the reconstruction of West 3rd Street from Stones Levee to Commercial Road Hill, and the replacement of the Commercial Road Hill Bridge at a cost of $37 million.

Below: Selected construction photographs from Walsh Construction. Many more can be found at the article gallery.
Viaduct construction at the Stones Levee Bridge photographed February 22, 1928 by Walsh Construction. Sourced from the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.

Below: West 3rd Street approach photographed March 3, 1928 by Walsh Construction. Sourced from the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.

Below: The lift span being connected with a Pennsylvania truss. Photographed August 20, 1928 by Walsh Construction. Sourced from the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.

Below: An aerial from Terminal Tower, photographed June 29, 1929 by Walsh Construction. Sourced from the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library Special Collections.

Lorain-Carnegie Bridge

The Lorain-Carnegie Bridge spans the Cuyahoga River valley and was the second vehicular high-level span to be completed.

The first push for a third high level viaduct to cross the Cuyahoga River came as early as 1916, prior to the completion of the Detroit-Superior Bridge. While bond issues were passed, the development of World War I halted any development work on a bridge. A 1924 City Planning Commission report, however, recommended the immediate construction of a viaduct. The report indicated that due to the construction of the Union Terminal complex, that such a viaduct could become a major roadway moving traffic from downtown to Shaker Square. In 1927, a Citizens Committee was formed with 15 members to make recommendations to the county regarding construction.

In November, two bonds were passed towards the construction of the bridge – one for the structure and the other for the land. The Chamber of Commerce requested that the bridge piers not interfere with any future widening of the Cuyahoga River, and the City Plan Committee noted that there could be traffic and transportation distribution issues. The bridge was designed by Wilbur J. Watson, a consulting engineer who was known for blending art and science into cohesive designs, Frank Walker and Harry Weeks, both architects. Two decks were proposed. The upper deck would carry a 60-foot roadway and two 7-foot sidewalks, while the lower level would carry two rapid transit tracks and two 18-foot truck lanes.

Construction began in 1930. Concrete piles were used under all piers except for the river crossing, which relied on timber piles. The footing were drilled down to a depth of 38 feet below river level on average. The bottom chord of the trusses were curved for aesthetic purposes, which only slightly increased the cost of the bridge. Approximately 71,000 yards of concrete was poured and 13,000 tons of structural silicon steel was used in the construction project. The silicon steel was strong with a high copper content, and was overbuilt in anticipation of the lower deck being used. Sandstone railings were used, requiring 10,000 tons of rock that were quarried in Amherst. Four ornamental pylons, symbolizing transportation progress, were built at the ends of the bridge. The 40-foot high Art Deco sculptures were designed by Frank Walker of Walker and Weeks and built by Henry Hering of New York. Cutters did all of the straight-line work required, and carvers sculptured the statues and the associated details. The pylons were referred to as the "Guardians of Traffic."

The bridge was completed at a cost of $4 million and was dedicated on November 9, 1932. Traffic was initially heavy, with congestion almost always a concern on the western end of the span. Further improvements on Lorain were proposed but never implemented, partially due to the construction of the Main Avenue Bridge and then the Innerbelt. The only work to occur post-construction was the movement of storefronts further back from the property line in anticipation of widening.

In 1976, Albert Porter, a county engineer, desired to widen the bridge and proposed to tear down the iconic pylons. When people protested, Porter became heated with his comments and was quoted as stating, "Those columns are monstrosities and should be torn down and forgotten. There is nothing particularly historic about any one of them. We're not running a May Show here." Porter was also one of the strongest proponents for the construction of an interstate through Shaker Lakes. Eric Johannesen, a preservationist for the Western Reserve Historical Society, submitted an application to get the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge listed on the National Register of Historic Places, namely for the statues. The application cited that it was Cleveland's "only example of monumental sculpture from the 1920s and 1930s." The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places later on October 8 – a rare feat since the span was less than 50 years of age.

The Lorain-Carnegie Bridge was closed for three years beginning on October 1, 1980 for major $22 million rehabilitation project that involved repaving the bridge, replacing the sidewalks and cleaning the statues with crushed walnut shells. The sandstone railings were replaced with steel-reinforced concrete designed to look like the sandstone it replaced.

In 1983, the county renamed the bridge after former Clevelander Bob Hope's father, Harry, who was part of the stoneworking team on the bridge. The renaming received mixed reviews as Harry was part of a team who was involved in the pylon construction. Bob Hope also did not show up for the bridge renaming ceremony, which irked many.

In the early 21st century, the roadway was resurfaced, and steel the size of pinheads was used as an agent to remove rust from the metal underneath the bridge. Damaged metal was replaced and the entire bridge was repainted. In addition, four-foot bike lanes were added. The project cost $20 million. A $4.5 million project that began in May 2012 involved the construction of a shared bike path and a new broad sidewalk to cater to the growing cycling community in Cleveland. The new path was a compromise between cycling advocates, who wanted a path along the new Innerbelt Bridge, and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), who noted that the path would be too expensive and too close to fast moving traffic. As an alternative, ODOT pitched a path for the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge to replace the bike lanes. The project involved the installation of a 14.5-foot sidewalk on the north side of the bridge, separated from the road by a 42-inch high concrete barrier. Two of the bridge's four lanes were narrowed from 12 feet to 11 feet, and the two outside lanes were marked by sharrows, which indicated that the lane is a heavily trafficked bicycle route and that cars should share the road with cyclists. Narrowed streets on both ends resulted in shorter crossings for pedestrians as part of a traffic calming measure.

Below: The Lorain-Carnegie Bridge is the green and pink colored high-level span in the center.

Below: Bike path construction.

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(part 5)

Nickel Plate Road High Level Bridge

The Nickel Plate Road High Level Bridge over the Cuyahoga was constructed in 1917 for the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, otherwise known as the Nickel Plate Road. The first crossing of the river at that location was a swing bridge with a pier in the center of the river. In the 1800s, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad extended its line through Cleveland, and in 1882, a wrought-iron viaduct with alterate tower spans and intermediate spans of Fink truss design, supported on sandstone masonry piers, carried two tracks across the Flats. The viaduct was designed by J. A. Latcher, Chief Engineer, W. M. Hughes, Bridge Engineer, and W. D. Boch, Substructure Engineer.

A  more substantial span was needed by the 1910s due to larger and heavier trains that were being incorporated. Designed by the Chief Engineer, E. E. Hart, the second crossing of the valley was constructed in 1917 and consisted of six deck and through riveted truss spans carrying two tracks for a total length of 3,010 feet. A 167-foot Scherzer Rolling Lift was incorporated to raise the span for ships passing through along the river. The engineers were Hardesty and Hanover, and the railroad company engineers were R. T. Hewitt, H. H. Whitmore and E. F. Marley.

In 1957, the Scherzer lift was replaced with a 267-foot vertical lift to increase the horizontal clearance of the river.

The Nickel Plate was merged into the Norfolk and Western in 1964, which was merged into the Southern that formed the Norfolk Southern in 1982.

Innerbelt Bridge

The Innerbelt Bridge carries Interstate 90 over the Cuyahoga River via seven cantilever truss arches. It replaced the Central Viaduct. Currently, two new Innerbelt Bridges of the rarely-used delta frame design are being erected to replace a structurally deficient, fracture-critical bridge.

The Innerbelt Bridge was covered in an earlier post.

West 3rd Street Bridge

The upper West 3rd Street Bridge is located in the Flats and was constructed from 1939 to 1940 as part of the Cuyahoga River Streamlining Project.

In 1939, a public hearing was held in regards to an application by the city for approval by council of plans to construct a new bridge for upper West 3rd Street over the Cuyahoga River as part of the $5.5 million Streamlining Project that sought to eliminate several dangerous curves for boats and to widen the navigation channel. A new crossing of the Cuyahoga River at the upper West 3rd Street Bridge would be sufficient for those requirements.

The foundations for the new bridge were completed in mid-December 1939. By February 1, 1940, one tower was finished and wooden piling had been driven to support the lift span that was being erected. After being joined together, the skeleton span was raised to the top of the towers for completion, and the temporary pilings were removed prior to an annual ice and flood event along the river. Work on removing the temporary upper West 3rd Street Bridge and demolishing the lower West 3rd Street Bridge was completed between mid-May and July 1.

On June 4, 2004, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) awarded Walsh Construction of Chicago a $16.8 million contract for the rehabilitation of the West Third Street Bridge. In November, the crossing was closed to traffic, with a scheduled completion date of May 31, 2006. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) covered 80% of the cost and the city 20%. ODOT oversaw the construction, while the city bid out the renovation's engineering and design to West Carroll Bergmann and construction to Walsh Construction of Chicago.

But the bridge had problems soon after its renovation. In 2005, the bridge towers were stripped of their paint in preparation to be fully painted, but Walsh only sandblasted and primed the towers because workers had to replace a concrete floor and girders at the top of each tower. On March 6, 2006, it was discovered that the lift cables were three feet too short, so the bridge could not be lowered to its lower position. The bridge opening on December 29 was delayed while awaiting installation of safety gates at each end of the span. It was then announced that the bridge would be closed on April 19 for 60 days for painting.

In January 2007, a cable broke, sending a traffic barrier on the north side of the bridge down. One of the masts in a tower snapped later that spring, requiring $45,000 in immediate work. The span finally opened to traffic on January 11. But yearly inspections afterwards found wires hanging from electrical junction boxes and jerky movements when the span lowered. Fuses also repeatedly blew when the span was being put down, and the brake pads showed excessive wear. In addition, the bridge was primed but never painted after the renovation, leading to early rust on the bridge. The bridge was scheduled to be closed on April 19 for repainting, but Walsh wanted $4.4 million to complete the painting, noting that the original contract was more complicated than envisioned. ODOT agreed but said that it could be done for less than Walsh requested. Walsh subsequently sued ODOT.

The bridge was closed for a few days on June 9 due to problems with the lifting mechanism.

In July 2008, at the request of ODOT, Cuyahoga County engineer's office took over the painting project after Walsh and ODOT settled the claim, and Walsh agreed not to do any further work to the span. The county determined that there was not enough time to seek more bids and make sure that funding is available in order for the bridge to be painted for the spring. On October 15, 2009, two bids – one for $5.5 million and $6.7 million, were received for the painting project. ODOT estimated the project at $4.8 million. Another bidding round was held, closing on December 15 when bids from $4.875 million to $7 million were put in. A contract was soon awarded to APBN Inc. of Campbell, Ohio.

The West 3rd Street Bridge closed on April 15, 2010 for repainting, and reopened to traffic in late September. The total cost of the restoration was $28.57 million, well over budget.

In October 2011, the bridge was closed as parts to repair the bridge were in short supply. The cost of repairing the bridge also escalated, from $800,000 to $1.4 million, with work including the replacing of aerial power cables, correcting an electrical system and refurbishing the brakes on the lifts. The city, by April 2012, had spent $400,000 with TranSystems Corp. to analyze the bridge and to recommend fixes.

No. 19: Erie Lackawanna Railroad Bridge

The Erie Lackawanna Railroad Bridge crossed the Cuyahoga River just south of Mahoning Avenue and north of the now demolished Jefferson Avenue Bridge. The site was home to one of the oldest railroad bridges in the city, dating back to 1850, which collapsed in the 1900s due to a train wreck. It was replaced with a swing span, and then a jackknife. It was located within the American Steel & Wire division of U.S. Steel Corporation.

Plans to replace the span dated to the 1949 when the Chamber of Commerce urged the replacement of antiquated spans at the request of Cleveland industrial interests. It resurfaced in the 1950s as part of the Army Corps of Engineers program of replacing the bridges over the Cuyahoga in an attempt to improve river navigation and to allow 700-foot vessels. A contract was approved for engineering and design work for a new Erie Lackawanna Railroad Bridge in June 1963.(2) The new proposed bridge would eliminate the center pier and widen the channel from 117 feet to 210 feet, providing 98 feet of vertical clearance. It would be single tracked, down from twin tracks. The estimated cost of the project was $9 million to $10 million.

The closing of the Erie Ore dock and the bankruptcy of the Erie Railroad made the replacement unnecessary. Bridge No. 19, as it was referred to, was later removed.

B&O Bridge

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) Bridge is located just south of the demolished Newburgh and South Shore Railroad Bridge and north of the Clark Freeway Bridge.

The Scherzer rolling lift bridge, constructed in 1906, served the industrial flats along the lake and river and proceeded south towards the American Steel and Wire Company's Central Furnace. The steel was sourced from the American Bridge Company Toledo, Ohio facility. The double-tracked span featured an overall length of 205 feet with a lift span of 160 feet, and featured two General Electric 50 hp motors that were replaced in 1950 with more powerful variants.

There are, of course, other bridges along the Cuyahoga River. I have not even sorted through piles of historical photographs and sketches of the now demolished Clark Avenue Bridge, or the Jefferson Avenue crossing, or the Main Street span. Several of the freeway bridges have been omitted, as are those within the LTV complex for security purposes. While this may serve as an overview, it is the beginning of coverage of important and notable crossings in northern Ohio.

(This is a five post collection. Scroll up to the beginning for sequential order.)

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Exploring Virginia

During the late summer, I wandered through the Virginia countryside, exploring small towns, natural attractions and of course - infrastructure. While Virginia is not known for its covered bridges or its charming trusses that is found more typically in the northeast and midwest, it does boast some impressive crossings that are both preserved or endangered.

I began my entry into Virginia from Bluefield, West Virginia via old US 52 over East River Mountain. I stopped briefly to photograph the southern portal of the East River Mountain Tunnel. The impressive facility carries Interstate 77 and US 52 through East River Mountain between Bluefield, West Virginia and Rocky Gap, Virginia. Prior to the completion of the tunnel, through traffic had to navigate the steep and winding US 52 over East River Mountain, now designated West Virginia and Virginia routes 598.

To the north, the West Virginia Turnpike had been opened to traffic from Princeton, northeast of Bluefield, to Beckley on September 2, 1954, with the remaining mileage to Charleston opening in November. The two-lane turnpike, nicknamed the "88 Miles of Miracle," was mostly two-lane with provisions for eventual widening. It was not designated Interstate 77 until the modernization of the Turnpike was finished in 1987 that involved widening the turnpike to four-lanes and bypassing a tunnel and bridge with a cut and fill. The total cost was an astronomical $683 million.

But even with the Turnpike being a lonely two-lanes, traffic was significant that dumped traffic onto a two-lane US 52 from the Turnpike's terminus at Princeton to Bluefield and over East River Mountain into Virginia. The first segment of Interstate 77 south of Princeton and the Turnpike was completed in 1969 from US 460 to West Virginia Route 112.

Groundbreaking on the tunnel was held on August 12, 1969 with West Virginia Governor Arch Moore and Virginia Governor Mills Godwin pushing a plunger that triggered an explosion of red, white and blue smoke. Excavation required the use of TNT, and excavation proved difficult as caves created sinkholes that caused one section of the tunnel two feet. As a result, concrete had to be hauled in from Kingsport, Tennessee to stabilize the situation - a process that took two months to complete. In addition, more than 30,000 feet of lumber was used in the support of the tunnel.

The project also involved the construction of Interstate 77 from West Virginia Route 112 south to the tunnel, a distance of 5.09 miles. To the south in Virginia, a 15.6-mile segment of Interstate 77 was completed from US 52 at North Gap to Bland in sections from late-1974 to mid-1975.

The East River Mountain Tunnel was opened to traffic on December 20, 1974 in a ceremony that was capped when Governor Moore landed two helicopters outside of the tunnel while Lieutenant Governor John Dalton looked on. The cost for the 5,412-foot twin tube tunnel cost $40 million and was the most expensive highway project undertaken by the West Virginia Division of Highways up to that time. The costs were shared between the two states: 51% of the tunnel resided in West Virginia and 49% in Virginia.

Proceeding south, I came across the Wolf Creek Bridge in Rocky Gap that was constructed in 1912 for the New River, Holston and Western Railroad (NH&W). The pin-connected steel Pratt through truss was fabricated by the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania and featured eight panels with its unique patented Phoenix columns that consist of several pieces forming a cylindrical shaft with riveted ribs.

The NH&W once extended for 43 miles from Narrows on the New River in Giles County to the village of Suiter in Bland County, following Wolf Creek or its tributaries for its entire length. Construction on the railroad began in 1903 from Narrows but reached a distance of just three miles. In 1912, the line was extended to Rocky Gap when W.M. Ritter purchased Buck Horn Timber, a local lumber outfit, and by 1914 the railroad had reached Suiter. The line was partially financed by W.E. Mingea, Jr. of Abingdon, a major county landowner who was involved in the lumber and bark industry. The railroad featured twelve stations at Talmash, Penvir, Bridge No. 2, First Ford, Chappel, Nidey, Round Bottom, Rocky Gap, Novis (South Gap), Hicksville, Bastian and Suiter.

In 1919, the NH&W was sold to the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W). While the N&W maintained service on the line for five days a week, local timber resources began to be exhausted by the 1930s and the run was cut back to three days a week. In 1946, the railroad was dismantled and the bridge and roadway was converted for Virginia Route 61. In 1986, the Wolf Creek Bridge was closed to all but pedestrians when Virginia Route 61 was realigned several hundred feet upstream in 1986.

I headed eastward through the Wilderness Creek valley and onward towards Big Walker Creek to photograph more of the rural countryside. I came across the Big Walker Creek Bridge over Big Walker Creek while exploring a remote Amish settlement on Virginia Route 760 in Giles County. The eight-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss is of an early 1900s vintage. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced at a point after 2014.

Further east is the River Road Bridge that carried Virginia Route 623 over the New River in Pembroke. The bridge is notable for containing the largest number of truss types for one bridge, and features Virginia's longest Pennsylvania Petit through truss. It is also home to the last metal column pier and the last Pratt deck truss in the commonwealth.

The earliest crossing of the New River was a ferry that operated from the base of Castle Rock and ran eastward to Pembroke, connecting the Pulaski-Giles Turnpike on the west bank to the Centerville and Peters Mountain Turnpike on the east bank. When the New River Railroad, Mining and Manufacturing Company held its first informational meeting in 1872 in the nearby town of Pearisburg, the company desired to construct a rail line from the New River Depot in Pulaski County upstream to Mercer County, West Virginia. The railroad was surveyed in 1875 following the west bank of the New River, and construction began in 1882. It was at that point that the railroad merged with the Norfolk & Western Railway (N&W).

It was not until the 1890s that the name Pembroke Ferry was commonly used, and by then, traffic on the ferry had substantially increased due to the Pembroke depot located at Castle Rock. On the east bank, the Virginia Railroad — mainly a coal hauling line, was constructed in the early 20th century. In 1912, the Pembroke Limestone Corporation began quarrying operations on the west side of the river, which put further strains on the ferry. The discussion of a bridge over the New River had been discussed as far back as the late 1880s, but no serious considerations were made until the development of the limestone quarry and its associated population and commerce growth.

In 1910, the Virginia State Assembly passed legislation that allowed for the construction of two bridges across the New River. In October and November 1915, the Giles County Board of Supervisors selected the bridge site, and on March 20, 1916, the Assembly granted the county the authority for construction. The county was required to remove the at-grade crossing of the N&W. Construction on the bridge began in 1915 by the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company of Roanoke. Construction was set back temporarily when a pier on the east bank of the river collapsed to its side when the New River flooded. It had been poured but not properly secured. A new pier was cast in its place, and with no further interruptions, the new crossing was completed in the following year.

The unique bridge consisted of seven spans, six of which were metal trusses of four different types. The bridge also consisted of three early technological advancements that had been abandoned by the dawn of the 20th century: a non-riveted field construction, the use of pin connections and the use of hand-forged welds and wrought iron for structural members.

The River Road Bridge was bypassed with a new two-lane bridge in 1996.

Below: Photographs from the Historic American Engineering Record. Many others are available through the River Road Bridge page.

One of eight remaining covered bridges in Virginia, the Link's Farm Covered Bridge is located in Giles County near Virginia Route 700 and is a private covered span that is not open to the public. The bridge resides on the farm of James Link, Jr. It was his grandfather, Samuel Bradley who purchased the farm in 1907, and five years later Bradley constructed what was called the Bradley Bridge to provide easier access to acreage across Sinking Creek. The span was only 49 feet long and featured a modified Queenspost truss with a segmental arch. In 1949, Virginia Route 700 was constructed and bypassed the covered bridge.

The Link's Farm Covered Bridge was repaired in 1995.

Below: Photographs by Jet Lowe of the Historic American Engineering Record.

Nearby is the Old Clover Hollow Road Covered Bridge in Giles County on a former alignment of Virginia Route 601 that spans Sinking Creek. The covered bridge was constructed in 1916 and is a modified Queenspost truss with a segmental arch and is 70.10-feet long.

In 1963, the bridge was bypassed with a concrete span. The bridge was offered for sale to the adjacent property owners, but the Miller farm to the north did not want to assume responsibility for maintenance of the bridge. There was no record of deed that conveyed the bridge or adjoining land to either the county or state, but in 1995, Giles County announced that it owned the bridge. The Old Clover Hollow Road Covered Bridge was recently renovated, with labor provided by volunteers from local citizens and students at Virginia Tech.

The Cannery Road Bridge carries Virginia Route 773 over the Roanoke River in Lafayette, Virginia. The camelback through truss was constructed in 1917 and relocated to the present site in 1958.

While proceeding northbound on Interstate 81, I came across the Roaring Run Bridge at Ironto rest area. The bridge - spanning a drainage ditch, is among the oldest bridge of its type in the United States and the oldest medal bridge in Virginia.

The riveted bowstring pony truss was originally constructed in 1877-1878 over Stoney Fork north of Moneto in Bedford County by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, Ohio. In the 1930s, the one-lane span was relocated to span Roaring Run along Virginia Route 657 in Bedford County. In 1972, the Roaring Run Bridge was replaced by a concrete culvert and moved to the rest area in 1976.

Below: Photographs from the Historic American Engineering Record prior to the span's closure in 1972.

On the way out of Virginia, I drove through the rural Virginia countryside to photograph several small communities while traveling along the broad rivers and diminutive creeks. The Clementon Road Bridge carries Virginia Route 681 over the Appromattox River between Powhatan and Amelia counties. The riveted Warren pony truss was constructed in 1932.

The Rivanna River Bridge carries Virginia Route 6 over the Rivanna River west of Columbia in Fluvanna County, Virginia. The pony truss was constructed in 1930.

As of 2012, the ailing bridge had a sufficiency rating of 32.1 out of 100 and was both functionally and structurally deficient. The first public hearing on a new bridge was held on April 4, 2012. Right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation for the new bridge began in the fall, with construction scheduled to begin in 2013 with an expected completion date of 2016. The total cost of the new bridge is estimated to be $11.92 million: $1.5 million for engineering, $293,006 for right-of-way and $10,125,777 for construction.

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The Stoney Point Road Bridge is located along Virginia Route 620 between Amelia and Cumberland counties. The six-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss was constructed in 1912.

Brook Hill Road Bridge is located between Cumberland and Amelia counties along Virginia Route 621. The Pratt through truss over the Appomattox River was constructed in 1900.

More unique is the Cartersville Bridge over the James River that carried Virginia Route 45 between Cartersville and Pemberton. What remains is a rare surviving example of composite bridge construction. It was one of the last bridges in the United States to be comprised of wood, especially as a major structural element.

The first span across the river was constructed by the Cartersville Bridge Company which was chartered in 1819. A contract between David Scott of Maryland and the Cartersville Bridge Company was signed on July 19, 1820 with work to begin on a wooden covered bridge by September 1. The initial completion date was set for December 25, 1821. Amendments to the contract were made on May 31 and on December 12 for additional work, and the final cost was estimated at more than $24,000.

The covered span consisted of five stone piers and two stone abutments built of rough cut ashlar and rubble, and a series of Burr arch trusses but was poorly constructed. A diary entry from William Bolling on September 8, 1827 noted that the arches were "giving way"  and that the bridge would soon "fall in."  In 1841, famous engineer Claudius Crozet reported his concerns with the structural integrity of the bridge and the first Cartersville Bridge was demolished a year later.

A contract was signed to Joseph N. Carrington on March 12, 1842 for a new bridge. The second span was either destroyed or collapsed prior to 1883 and was not rebuilt due to the high cost of bridging the James River. During those years, a ferry was operated by the James River and Kanawha Canal Company whose ownership later transferred to the Richmond & Allegany Railroad Company (R&A). The ferry also operated during the rebuilding of the bridge in 1841.

In 1884, the R&A contracted with Goochland and Cumberland counties to rebuild the bridge with a combination of wood and iron on the original stone piers and abutments. The superstructure was composed of heavy timber members with cast-iron connections that formed a six-span Pratt through truss. The original floor beams consisted of wrought iron that was replaced with rolled steel in 1955. The roadway deck was constructed of timber. The R&A also sought the construction of two other bridges across the James River so that citizens could walk or drive across the river to the railroad.

All but two spans of the superstructure were destroyed in a flood caused by Hurricane Agnes on June 22, 1972. A replacement bridge 947-feet in length adjacent to the original Cartersville Bridge was completed on June 1, 1974.

Below: An image of the Cartersville Bridge in the early 1970s. Photograph by the Historic American Engineering Record.

The Knightly Bridge is a single-span, pin-connected Camelback through truss that carries Virginia Route 778 over the Middle River in Augusta County. The first route through the valley was completed by 1865 that connected New Hope, Piedmont and Mount Sidney. An early 19th century dam, constructed to provide waterpower for mills on the south side of the river, may have been the first fixed crossing across the Middle River in the area.

On October 25, 1909, the Knightly Milling Company petitioned the Augusta County Board of Supervisors to have a bridge constructed nar its mills. The petition was referred to the Road Board who made no decision at a meeting on February 28, 1910. The matter was delayed until September 26, when the Board of Supervisors referred Knightly back to the Road Board for a further report and cost estimate. But the bridge was determined either to be too expensive or not a necessity, as the project was postponed for four years until April 23, 1914.

On June 4, the Board of Supervisors approved the construction of the Knightly Bridge after receiving updated cost estimates for an iron span measuring 175-feet long and 16-feet wide to be completed at a cost of no more than $3,000. The one-lane bridge was completed in the spring of 1915 by the Champion Bridge Company of Wilmington, Ohio.

A 2001 inspection noted that the bridge required rehabilitation as the crossing featured isolated cracking, section loss and pitting in the steel and other deterioration. Repairs were completed shortly after, which included a new bridge deck and stringers, and other repairs. The bridge was slated for repainting, but a new coat of paint would not have solved the ongoing issues of crevice corrosion and pack rust. In addition, 2.0 and 25 mils of tightly adhered paint — lead based, was discovered. To compensate, the bridge was given a high pressure water wash cleaning with Chlor*Rid and an overcoat of Termarust high ratio co-polymerized calcium sulfonate coating system in August 2005. No lead paint was removed.

An inspection a year later noted no further corrosion or rust. The use of the Chlor*Rid and Thermarust treatment saved the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) over $63,000.

Carpenter's Ford Bridge carries Craig Shop Road (Virginia Route 775) over the Middle River in Augusta County. The one-lane Pratt thorugh truss was completed in 1903-1904 by the Brackett Bridge Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The first crossing of the Middle River near John W. Carpenter's farm was established after the Civil War, between 1865 and 1885. A petition for a bridge at Carpenter's Ford was filed in the Augusta County Court by John Carpenter and nearby citizens on June 22, 1903. The petition was referred to the Middle River District Road Board, and on July 30, the board recommended that a fixed crossing be built for no more than $4,500. One-fourth of the cost, or $1,300, would be provided by the petitioners with the remainder provided by the county. The money — most from Carpenter himself, was delivered to the board on August 24.

Construction on the substructure of the bridge began in the fall of 1903. A $1,000 contract for the abutments was let on December 19 to J.T. Muddiman. On January 25, 1904, a $1,825 warrant was ordered issued to the Brackett Bridge Company and superstructure work was completed later that year. In 2001, repair work was completed that included a new deck, stringers and floor beams and a new coat of paint.

Kerr's Crossing Bridge is a pony truss bridge over Christians Creek on New Hope-Laurel Hill Road — today's Virginia Route 907 in Augusta County, Virginia. The pin-connected Pratt pony truss was completed in the spring of 1899 by the Brackett Bridge Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.

A road crossed Christian's Creek in the vicinity of the bridge prior to 1865, but it was most likely a ford. V.B. Kerr and others filed a petition to construct a bridge over the creek near Kerr's Mill in the Middle River District Road Board on May 3, 1892. But on April 28, 1893, the court delayed making a decision on the bridge because the finances were stretched thin at that point.

In the fall, the Board heard arguments in favor of the bridge, and the court issued an opinion stating that the bridge was a necessity for the public and for agricultural interests. On October 2, the court approved construction with the requirement that the costs not exceed the Road Board's estimate of $1,902.50. The county contributed $1,742 towards the construction cost, with the remaining $160 sourced from a subscription list.

Construction was slated to begin on October 27, 1893, but county funds were available beginning in 1898 due to the depression of 1893. Kerr's Crossing Bridge was completed at a cost of $2,038.40. The manufacturer stamp on the steel read "Cambria,"  referring to the Cambria Steel Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

The Mount Meridian Bridge was constructed in 1907 by the Champion Bridge Company of Wilmington, Ohio and carried Virginia Route 256 over the Middle River. The three-span, pin-connected Pratt through truss connected Grottoes to Weyers Cave.

The first crossing of the area was at a gristmill on the Middle River opposite of the village of Mount Meridian. The dam and mill had existed prior to 1797, and the location provided an easy fording point for travelers along Snowflake Mill Road, connecting the Valley Turnpike and the Staunton-Port Republic Road. In 1890, Shendun was founded approximately 1.5 miles east and in 1899, the Grottoes Land Company began purchasing large tracts of land for a community centered around industry and tourism — especially of the caves at Weyers and others in the Shenandoah Valley.

A single iron span with masonry abutments and wooden approaches was constructed over the Middle River at Mount Meridian in the 1870s to handle the increasing traffic. It was repaired between July and October 1884 by covering the exposed timbers with metal roofing and applying two coats of paint to the woodwork and one coat to the iron span. Additional repairs were authorized on June 6, 1903 for $156, but just a little over two weeks after, the local Road Board requested an additional $800 to cover additional repairs. But the work did not last long as on October 26, 1906, John G. Fulton, a member of the county of Board of Supervisors and a Mount Meridian native, was ordered to contract for the work necessary to put the crossing back into good repair. Fulton suggested a new bridge, and on November 26, the Board ordered that the matter of repairing the existing span or building a new bridge be referred to the local Road Board.

Just a month later, on December 24, Fulton was authorized to go into contract with the Champion Bridge Company for a new bridge over the Middle River. The new Mount Meridian Bridge was completed on June 27, 1907 for $7,000. Repairs to the abutments were completed in 1912. Other repairs occurred during periodic floods, the last in 1985 that closed the bridge for months. It was reopened after the local community resisted efforts to abandon the span.

In 1967, a new alignment to the north was constructed for Virginia Route 256 as part of the Interstate 81 completion through the county, which included a new crossing of the Middle River. Afterwards, the former alignment was re-designated Virginia Route 769. In 1997, the Mount Meridian Bridge was closed to all traffic due to structural deterioration.

Below: An earlier photograph by the Historic American Engineering Record.

The Mount Meridian Bridge was identified as eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s. The assessment was reiterated in August 1996 by the Historic Structures Task Group and reconfirmed by the Virginia State Historic Preservation Office and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Commissioner on October 23, 1997. Due to the structural deterioration, repairing and reopening the bridge to automobiles was not recommended by VDOT. Preventive maintenance was found to not be applicable due to the condition. Because of that, selling the bridge to a private owner was not recommended. Because of its location, size and condition, reusing or relocating the bridge was also not feasible. Reusing the bridge for pedestrians was found to be acceptable, given that funds for painting the bridge and repairing the most deteriorated sections could be found. Rehabilitation of the bridge for pedestrian use is eligible for Transportation 75 Enhancement Program funding if there is a match of at least 20% of the cost.

The Chesapeake Western Railway crossing of North River at Stokesville, Virginia was completed in 1901 for the Chesapeake Western Railway (CW). The CW was extended into the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains with the hope of discovering high grade coal, but early mines played out and the railroad served primarily logging interests. The CW was neutered to Mt. Solon in 1930 and then to Bridgewater three years later. The Stokesville Bridge was later reused for a roadway.

More history on the Chesapeake Western Railway can be found at my partner site, Abandoned.

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