Month: May 2021

North Carolina’s Can Opener Bridge: this too-low North Carolina railroad trestle is still a notorious truck executioner — RANDOM Times •

At the corner of Gregson and Peabody streets in Durham, North Carolina lies what at first glance appears to be an innocent railroad trestle – but this is no ordinary railroad trestle. 873 more words

North Carolina’s Can Opener Bridge: this too-low North Carolina railroad trestle is still a notorious truck executioner — RANDOM Times •

1940: Australia Gets a New Bridge — Transportation History

May 18, 1940 A highway bridge built across the Manning River in the town of Taree in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) made its public debut. This steel truss bridge was officially opened by Alexander Mair, who served as premier of NSW from 1939 to 1941. The structure replaced a steam-driven ferry […]

1940: Australia Gets a New Bridge — Transportation History

The Micklehurst Loop – Part 1 — Roger Farnworth

I am indebted to Alan Young for a number of the images in this and the following articles about the Micklehurst Loop. This is his drawing of the Loop which appears at the head of his article about the Loop on the ‘Disused Stations‘ website. It is used with his kind permission, (c) Alan Young. […]

The Micklehurst Loop – Part 1 — Roger Farnworth

This is a multiple-part series on a viaduct which has since disappeared. The stories are based on a tour of the viaduct remains in January 2021 and the photos taken by Tony Jervis in 1981. Have a look and follow the parts. Enjoy! 🙂

BHC Newsflyer: 29 May, 2021

Pruitt Bridge in Newton Co., AR. Source: HABS/HAER/HALS

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To listen to the podcast, click onto the Anchor page here.

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Headlines:

Pruitt Bridge in Arkansas Coming Down

Link: http://bridgehunter.com/ar/newton/pruitt/

Article: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/may/23/buffalo-river-span-among-last-of-kind/

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South Quay Road Bridge in Virginia Being Replaced

Link: http://bridgehunter.com/va/southampton/17755/

Article: https://www.virginiadot.org/projects/hamptonroads/south_quay_bridge.asp

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Europabrücke in Rendsburg to be Replaced

Click here to read.

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Arch Bridge in Corning, NY Turns 100

Article: https://www.weny.com/story/43962024/a-centennial-birthday-celebration-for-historic-centerway-bridge

Bridge Info: http://bridgehunter.com/ny/steuben/centerway-arch/

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Expressway Bridge in Arkansas Now on the NRHP

Article: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/may/27/2-jefferson-county-sites-put-on-historic-registry/

Bridge Info: http://bridgehunter.com/ar/jefferson/bh62570/

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Vertical Lift Bridge in Plaue (MV) almost finished with Rehabilitation

Link with Video: https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/nordmagazin/Letzte-Reparaturarbeiten-an-der-Plauer-Hubbruecke,nordmagazin85032.html (!: News in German)

Bridge Info: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plauer_Hubbr%C3%BCcke (!: Info in German)

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Plus (click on the heading and it will take you directly to the site):

Online Forum on Lansing Bridge (via bridgehunter.com)

125th Anniversary of Bridge Disaster in Victoria, BC, Canada

150th Anniversary of the Demolition of the First Bridge in Brisbane, Australia

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Centerway Bridge in Corning, NY. Photo taken in 2016 by Dana and Kay Klein

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Mystery Bridge Nr. 152: The Jay Bridge in Maine- The Oldest Cable-Stayed Bridge Ever Built?

This next mystery bridge article presents a riddle to be solved. It has to do with the suspension bridge versus the cable-stayed bridge. Before we start with this article, a question for the forum:

Which bridge type came first- the cable-stayed or the suspension bridge?

 Both types first appeared in the 15th century, but the oldest suspension bridge in the world to exist can be found in Tweed in Scotland with the Union Chain Bridge, built 201 years ago. In the US, it’s the Cincinnati-Covington Ohio River Bridge, which was built in 1869 by John Roebling, 14 years before his masterpiece, the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.  And while the first oldest cable-stayed bridge going by modern standards was built in 1817 in the UK, the oldest existing bridge in the world can be found in Texas, with the Bluff Dale Bridge, built in 1890.

This leads to the question of when the first cable-stayed bridge was built in the United States. We know that the first suspension bridge in the country was built in 1855 at Niagara Falls– built by the same engineer, Roebling. However this post card of a bridge in Maine may not only be the first cable-stayed bridge in the States, but the first bridge on the North American continent, whose roadway was supported by cables hung on towers.

The information dates the Jay Bridge back to 1835. The bridge spanned West Channel Androscoggin River and featured three towers supporting cable-stays that may have been built out of concrete or wood. Looking at the pic more closely and how the roadway was warped, the best bet was that it was a wooden structure. Supporting the deck were pony arches that were attached to the towers. This bridge had served traffic until it was replaced in 1914 by the Pine Island Arch Bridge, a two-span closed spandrel concrete arch bridge that was built by the Cry Brothers. That bridge is still in use. There used to be three bridges connecting the shores on both side of the river with the island. Today, only the Pine Arch Bridge remains, whereas a modern bridge bypasses the island as it crosses the river into the town of Jay.

If the records are proven correct, then the Jay Bridge was the oldest bridge of its kind built in the US. It could be possible that the bridge was built later and the markings were written in by accident. This has to do with the fact that cable-stayed bridges were once built using chain and wire. Concrete was not considered the norm for materials used for bridge construction. Wood was plentiful, yet for someone to design a bridge like that would require an artist who focused on the bridge’s aethetics. The oldest wooden arch bridge known to exist is the Wan’an Bridge in China, built 1000 years ago, yet the arches are more trapezoidal than curved. The technology needed to build arches out of wood came much later in the late 19th Century.

This leads to the question of the validity of the claims that the Jay Bridge was indeed built in 1835. If the information is correct, then who was responsible for designing such a bridge and what materials were used for the bridge construction?

That plus the first question can be discussed in the Comment section below…….

Happy Bridgehunting, Folks! 🙂

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The Collapse of the Point Ellice Bridge in Victoria, Canada

Photo by Sami Anas on Pexels.com

VICTORIA, BC (CANADA)-

Yesterday marked an anniversary of a tragedy in the history of bridge building and maintenance. 125 years ago on May 26, 1896, a street car tried to cross the Point Ellice Bridge, which spans the Upper Harbor on present-day Bay Street, connecting Victoria and Victoria West, let alone the island with the mainland. Thousands gathered to celebrate the 76th birthday of Queen Victoria and watch the reenactment of a naval battle at Esquimalt. Unfortunately on this tragic day, one of two spans of the pin-connected Whipple through truss  bridge collapsed under the weight of the street car and the people who were traveling on it.  An analysis of the disaster and reactions to the tragedy can be found in the video below:

The disaster was considered the worst in Canadian history at that time, still it is being talked about in class today, but on a regonal level. The bridge collapse signaled the beginning of the movement for truss bridges that were to be built to withstand increasing loads of traffic. This included the introduction of standardization of truss designs to be used for bridge construction. This was introduced beginning in 1910 in the United States. Steel was already replacing wood and iron because of their lack of quality- iron was too inflexible and brittle, while wood had a potential to rot due to weather and worms eating away at the material. The latter can be found in the example of the first crossing in Bisbrane, in Australia.  And bit by bit, the introduction of a Good Roads Movement was presented, where roads and bridges were to be built using higher quality materials, yet at the same time, they were to be maintained. Even a simple paint job on a truss bridge span could prolong the span’s functional life.

Each bridge disaster presented challenges and ushered in changes to bridge building and maintenance. The Point Ellice Bridge collapse of 1896 is still being talked about to this day because it ushered in the necessary changes needed to improve the infrastructure not only in Canada, but in neighboring USA and even beyond…..

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The Point Ellice House and Bridge were built at the same time, honoring Edward Ellice, who left a mark in Canadian history and later in Great Britain. The House has been preserved and designated a historic site. It still hosts events that talk about this tragic event. At the same time, the bridge was rebuilt after the disaster, yet the present-day structure, a concrete cantilever span, was built in 1958 and still serves traffic today. It was renovated last time in 2019.

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The Fascinating Story of the First Victoria Bridge — Highgate Hill and Its History

Due to political bastardry, bad contracting, financial crisis and the forces of nature, the first Victoria Bridge took 10 years to build at more than double the expected cost. Twenty years later it was replaced. Here’s the fascinating story.

The Fascinating Story of the First Victoria Bridge — Highgate Hill and Its History

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the demolition and replacement of the first bridge built in Brisbane in Australia. The first crossing was built in 1866 but only lasted a few years. A look at the history of the city’s first bridge can be found in this article……..

Rader Hochbrücke (aka Europabrücke) in Rendsburg to be replaced

Oblique view of Europebruecke near Rendsburg. Photo taken in May 2011

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The days of the tallest and longest bridge in Schleswig-Holstein are about to be numbered. The Rader Hochbrücke is a multiple span cantilever deck plate girder viaduct that spans the Baltic-North Sea Canal, carrying the Motorway 7 between Flensburg and Kiel. It’s also known as the Europabrücke because the motorway, which is the longest in Germany, connects Denmark (and subsequentially, Scandanavia) with Austria (and other parts of southern and eastern Europe) and also is one of the most heavily-travelled bridges in the state. The 1491-meter long bridge is so heavily travelled that cracks, rust and other ailments are showing on the almost half-century old viaduct, which has a main span of 271 meters and a height of nearly 60 meters. The viaduct has only four lanes of traffic, which makes it functionally obsolete due to high traffic congestion on the bridge. Smoke and other ailments from the ships passing underneath have added to the misery to the bridge.

Therefore, planning is underway to replace the entire viaduct with a brand new one. Beginning in 2022, crews will construct one half of the bridge which will be used temporarily for motorway traffic upon ist completion. Once traffic is diverted onto that span, the old viaduct will be demolished and in its place, the second half of the new bridge will be built. When the new bridge is completed by 2027, the structure will carry six lanes of traffic in total- three in each direction.

Unique about the new bridge, as you will see in the illustration below, is that the piers will be V-shaped and the cantilever design will be similar to that of the 1972 structure. In other words, the newer bridge will be fancier than the structure at present. It’s a win-win situation for the region of Rendsburg, which prides itself of its beloved High Bridge and Rail Loop, for two reasons:

  1. There will be relief in terms of traffic in and around the city, reducing congestion and diverting unnecessary travel away from the city and
  2. The city will be greeted with a unique bridge that will be appealing to tourists and bridgehunters alike. It will be not only modern but also unique.

And with that, a film on this project, courtesy of DEGES:

TIP:

Even though the Motorway will remain open to traffic, construction will hinder traffic due to the machinery at the site. As a shortcut, you can take the Motorway 215 to Kiel, then follow Highway B76 to Schleswig via Eckernförde, crossing the Prince Heinrich Bridge that spans the Canal. Another alternative would feature taking the Motorway 23 along the North Sea coast from Hamburg. This changes to Highway B 5 after Heide. At Husum, follow Highway B 200 to Flensburg.

The Chronicles will keep you posted on the latest on this project.

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