Month: September 2020

Umpqua River Bridge — Lynn and Judy’s Bridge Walking Blog

Our 9th Bridge. Reedsport, Oregon. May 24, 2020. In 1825 Scottish botanist, David Douglas, named the Umpqua River after an Indian word meaning a place along the river. Long before white settlers arrived in the 1850’s, the region was home to the Siuslawan peoples. Fast forward to the 1930’s and Conde McCullough was hard at […]

Umpqua River Bridge — Lynn and Judy’s Bridge Walking Blog

Mystery Bridge Nr. 139: The Lucile Bridge with its Double-Trusses

Photos by Karl Sweitzer

The next Mystery Bridge takes us to the State of Idaho and this bridge. It’s a Pennsylvania through truss span with Howe Lattice portals supported by 45° heel bracings. The bridge has a total length of 344 feet, with the main span having a total length of 233 feet. The decking is 16 feet wide. Unique about this bridge is the arch that is found in the truss span itself, thus making it a “double-truss” bridge. These are rare to find, for there are 12 truss bridges of this kind known to exist, including the Currie Parkway Bridge in Michigan, the Southwind Rail to Trail Bridge in Kansas and the LeSeuer Railroad Bridge in Minnesota. Another bridge of its kind, the Meade Avenue Bridge in Pennsylvania, is currently in storage awaiting re-erection in Delaware. These bridges are supported with an additional truss to provide a sturdier structure for traffic. This bridge appears to have had its arch span added in 1975, given its age, rust and appearance as shown in the photos on bridgehunter.com by Karl Sweitzer.

Portal view

The construction date for the Lucile Bridge is 1937 according to records. Yet the bridge has pinned connected trusses which had been phased out for bridge construction before 1920 thanks to the introduction of standardized bridge designs on the state level which began in 1910 and featured trusses that had riveted connections. While some Pennsylvania trusses were used in some states, only the Pratt, Parker, Warren and polygonal Warren designs were preferred for bridge construction. This leads to the possibility that the Lucile Bridge was relocated to its present site: the Salmon River at Cow Creek Road not far from US Hwy. 95. and just outside the village. If that is the case, then the following questions arise that should require research to answer them:

1. Was there a crossing in Lucile prior to 1937?

2. Where did this truss span originate from?

3. When was it built at its original site and by whom?

4. When was it dismantled and transported to its current location?

If you have some information on the bridge’s history, feel free to add it here in the comment section and/or that of bridgehunter.com. Your help in solving this mystery would be much appreciated. Happy research and happy bridgehunting.

BHC Photo of the Week Nr. 114- Paying Homage to an Old Friend

This week’s Pic of the Week pays homage to an old friend. When I first visited the Lindaunis Schlei Bridge in 2011, I was with the bike. The combination Schaper through truss bridge with a bascule span, which was built in 1927, was in an open position, with boats going underneath the structure. I only was able to get the southern end of the bridge and could not get much of the inside portion of the truss span because of the long line of cars wanting to cross enroute to Flensburg. As this bridge has a combination steel road decking and railroad tracks, one could not afford to lose attention to the road, without losing control of the bike and falling, while risking an accident with a line of cars.  Despite this, I had a chance to get some shots and filmed the structure as the draw span was lowering. You can have a look at the bridge’s history by clicking here.

Fast forward to 2020. There were many reasons for revisiting the bridge, but there were two that stuck out as the key factors in making that decision. The first was after having traveled for 11 hours on the motorway to Flensburg for vacation- seven of which were while in traffic jams, I had decided on taking the backroads home to Saxony- first by stopping in Schwerin for a day trip and then travel to the Dömitz Railroad monument the following day, while passing through Saxony-Anhalt before making it home in a total of nine hours‘ time.  The second was that this bridge is currently being replaced. The German Railways is replacing the structure with one that provides two separate draw bridge spans- one for the railroad line and one for vehicular traffic. At the time of this post, work has already started on the new bridge, which will be built alongside the old structure. That bridge will remain in service for another two years before it is eventually decommissioned and lastly, removed.  We don’t know if parts of it will be kept and used as a monument.

With those two reasons in mind, we decided to take the road last traveled.  From Flensburg, we needed only 40 minutes along the backroads, which were curvy and narrow with few chances to pull off in case of car problems.  After passing through Süderbarup we drove through Lindaunis, which was on the north side of the Schlei, before approaching the bridge.

And as you can see in the pics, it made a lasting difference. After revisiting the docks where I took my last photo in 2011, we had to wait for 20 minutes as the drawbridge span lifted. With me at the wheel, my wife took the opportunity to get some shots, both while stopping but also as we crossed the bridge when the draw span finally came down.  The results were getting the close-ups of the tender’s station and the draw spans, but also getting some tunnel shots of the bridge as we crossed it.

It was a trip worth remembering because we didn’t have to worry about traffic jams and aggressive drivers. It was a relaxing drive nonetheless and one that I cannot regret not taking because it was a road les staken. And if the bridge is to go then not without bidding farewell first.  I just hope that others will do the same, let alone come up with a plan to keep part of the span for it served the Schlei and Schleswig-Holstein well, despite the jams, the traffic lights and its narrowness.  If this was our last good-bye, then it’s one worth remembering.

Note: All but the top photo were taken by my wife Birgit. ❤ 🙂

Rare Deck Truss Bridge in Quebec Incinerated

CHEMIN HAMEL/ SHERBROOKE/ QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA-

A rare gem of a historic bridge is no more, and police suspect faul play. The Pont Davy was a wooden deck truss bridge, whose design resembles a truss bridge built almost two centuries ago but it was 70 years old when it met its demise. The bridge was a two-span Town Lattice deck truss bridge, with a total length of 200 meters. Built in 1951, the bridge carried a local road until its abandonment a couple decades ago. It was first discovered by pontists 10 years ago and the bridge has become a popular tourist attraction. Its red Town lattice trusswork is one of the youngest that was built, and its natural surroundings made it a popular stop for hikers and photographers alike. Work had been progressing on finding out its history prior to its destruction.

Police and criminal investigators are looking into the cause of the fire, which occurred at the bridge on 23 September, causing the entire structure to collapse. No one was injured in the disaster. Since then, authorities have suspected arson and are looking for person(s) responsible for the fire. Information and leads should be reported to the local authorities immediately.

More information and photos of the bridge can be found via link here:

Pont Davy

The Pont Davy was one of over a dozen covered bridges that are remaining in Quebec. A tour guide on the bridges can be found here:

A back country to discover

It’s also in the Tour Guide page of the Chronicles. The Chronicles will keep you posted on the latest on the arson at the bridge.

Market Street Bridge named a National Historic Landmark — WTRF

FOLLANSBEE, W.Va. (WTRF) – You may drive across the Market Street Bridge every day, but you might not know it was critical in developing the Buckeye and the Mountain States. It’s a way to go between West Virginia and Ohio. It’s a local landmark. It’s a distinctive night-time sight in Brooke and Jefferson Counties. Now, […]

Market Street Bridge named a National Historic Landmark — WTRF

An Americana Moment in Siouxland, Rural Cherokee County — lostinsiouxland

It’s always fun to find a moment in life that seems to be pure Americana, especially in rural America, even in Siouxland. Possibly reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting. Although in this day and age that viewpoint may seem skewed to a particular demographic. But summertime is essentially kids’ time. Before the vagaries of adulthood […]

An Americana Moment in Siouxland, Rural Cherokee County — lostinsiouxland

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 113

Continuing on my series on the bridges in Schleswig-Holstein 2020, we take you to the peninsula of Nordstrand, located near Husum on the North Sea coast. We found this unique bridge at the Restaurant am Heverstrom in the Village of Süderhafen. It spans a road that leads into the village and it carries pedestrian traffic connecting the restaurant with the highway that bypasses the village. On the opposite end is another eatery and a sports club. The bridge is unique because of its wooden design, including the trusses, but also for its stairway, which zig-zags itsway up from the parking lot below, which is reserved for guests of this restaurant as well as a pair of bed and breakfasts. By foot, it’s 20 minutes away from a pottery market, the Töperei Südermarkt, where all ceramics are handmade, using the caricatures typical of the North Sea (seagulls, light houses, shells, sheep, sail boats, and the like) and a grey background. If you are finding a high quality gift for a friend or loved one, this is the place.

While the bridge also includes a terrace on the restaurant side, a couple questions came to mind: 1. Why build a bridge over a road when you can build an observation tower with eating area for guest to look at the flut and ebbe of the North Sea’s waves? After all, the restaurant and bridge are right next to the dike which keeps the water out in case of a Schietsturm.

And 2. Who was the person behind this unique construction? Let alone when was it built? Judging by its age and upkeep, the bridge is about 20 years old. Still, wooden structures can last over 70 years. Should they maintain it well, it could be a historic monument in about 50 years or so.

And as for the restaurant Am Heverstrom, if you want a restaurant that offers a local menu- foods typical of the North Sea region, this would be the place to go. We stopped there after doing a Wattwanderung (Watt-Walking) along the North Sea coast and were treated to a warm, friendly environment, combined with Labskaubs (a soup), Sauerfleisch with roasted potatoes, and plates of fish. Add a local beer in the Flensburger and a local desert and you have yourselves a typical meal in Schleswig-Holstein. It was a perfect meal during which a Schietsturm (rain with high winds) passed through and we enjoyed it until the sun came out and we were forced to leave. Still, a day on the North Sea is like a full two-week vacation- with fresh air and relaxation, while embracing the local culture and thoughts about retiring up north. 🙂 ❤

Tarr Steps – Icon Of Exmoor — Bishop Brian Castle

Tarr Steps is an iconic place on Exmoor. Located in a national nature reserve, it attracts around 40 thousand visitors a year.  Many are drawn by the clapper bridge, whose 50 metre length makes it the longest free-standing stone bridge in Britain. It looks like a mighty crocodile stealthily crossing the river. Walking the clapper […]

Tarr Steps – Icon Of Exmoor — Bishop Brian Castle