BHC Pic Special: Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh

This November marks Historic Bridge Month, where we have a look at the achievements in restoring and saving historic bridges from modernization, while at the same time make historic bridges part of a tourist attraction, serving as a stop to learn about them. In light of the recent passing of Eric Delony on 23 October (an obituary can be found here), the Chronicles is honoring him and his achievements as well as this occasion with a collage of bridge photos the author took and collected over the years. They will be presented once a week between now and the time Ammann Awards voting starts in mid-December.

 

 

 

 

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Smithfield Street Bridge

A post shared by bridgehunters_chronicles2010 (@bridgehunters_chronicles17) on Jul 19, 2018 at 9:18pm PDT

 

Our first collage looks at one of my favorite bridges in the US, the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh. The bridge was a product of Gustav Lindenthal, having been built in 1883. It was expended and rehabilitated in 1911. It has been listed on the National Register since 1974. A real treat for downtown, and one can see the bridge even from Mount Washington- making it a splendid blend with the city’s skyline.

 

REMINDER: Entries are still being taken for the 2018 Ammann Awards between now and 1 December, especially in the category of Best Bridge Photo. Let’s honor both occasions, shall we? We have a lot to be proud of in terms of historic bridges, our heritage and the People who have done the work to preserve them. Information on how to enter is here.

 

 

 

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2018 Othmar H. Ammann Awards: Now Accepting Entries

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Scherberg Bridge at dusk and in black and white

A post shared by bridgehunters_chronicles2010 (@bridgehunters_chronicles17) on Sep 10, 2018 at 8:49am PDT

2018 has presented itself with many surprises in all aspects. In particular with bridgehunting and bridge photography, where readers, followers and enthusiasts have been awed by many historic bridges abandoned for many years until discovered most recently, communities where historic bridges that are little mentioned are getting recognition, and historic bridges that are the spotlight for photographers and preservationists who worked successfully to breathe new life into them.

And with that, the 2018 Othmar H. Ammann is now open to business. Between now and December 3rd, the Bridgehunter’s Chronicles is now accepting entries of (historic) bridges and people who have worked to save them for reuse. Named after the Swiss bridge engineer who left his mark in bridge building in New York and the surrounding area, the Award is given out, both on the national and international levels in te following categories:

Best Bridge Photo

Best Example of a Restored Historic Bridge

Lifetime Achievement (including post mortem)

Tour Guide- Communities, Counties, Districts with a high number of historic and fancy modern bridges

Best Kept Secret- Individual Bridge

Mystery Bridge and

Bridge of the Year.

More details can be found here. You can also find the results of the previous winners of the awards so that you have an idea which bridges, photos, etc. deserve to be entered.

Do you have a bridge, set of bridges, bridge photo(s) or even person(s) who has devoted time and effort to historic bridges that deserve recognition on the national and international levels? Send them here via form or e-mail:

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E-mail: flensburg.bridgehunter.av@googlemail.com.

You have until December 3rd to submit your entries. For bridge photos, please submit them using JPEG and keep it under 1MB, if possible. If you have any questions, please contact Jason Smith using the abovementioned form or e-mail address. Voting will proceed afterwards, ending on 8th January, 2019, with the winners being announced on the 12th.  We will use the same scheme as before with polldaddy yet we may experiment with other options when we vote.  More will come when the entries end and the voting begins.  The contest is open globally. Anyone can enter. 🙂  If you have a bridge worth mentioning or a photo worth showing, let’s see it! 🙂

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 19

This Pic of the Week takes us to Minnesota, where I was born and raised, and to another bridge used for target practice: The Broadway Avenue Bridge, spanning the Minnesota River, carrying MN Hwy. 99 in St. Peter, located 13 miles (26 km) northeast of Mankato.

Built in 1931, the 400-foot long span features Siamese Pennsylvania through truss spans, molded together to make it one span. The Howe-lattice portal bracings are skewed by 10°. The bridge was rehabbed recently, as a new coat of paint was added, along with new decking and lighting. Yet despite this, the bridge looks somewhat the same as before, minus the color change. Have a look at the difference and see what you think. I’ve stopped at the bridge at least five times for a photo opp. The shot taken before the rehab was in 2013. The shot after the rehab was in July 2018, six months after the rehab was completed. Enjoy! 🙂

Before

 

After

You can click on the link above to see what else they have done to see for yourself. 🙂

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 105: An Abandoned Wooden Stringer Span on Route 66

Route 66, the Mother Road that connected Chicago with Los Angeles, is one of the main features that makes America great in the eyes of the tourist for many reasons. From monuments to restaurants; people to bridges….

…..and in particular, abandoned bridges like this one.

This mystery bridge was discovered by Roamin Rich in 2014, spanning the San Jose Rio River near Grants, New Mexico. Records have it dated to 1926 as the construction date of this wooden stringer span. Yet as Rich mentioned on this video enclosed below, there is a lot to know about the bridge- in particular, who built it, how long did it serve traffic until it was bypassed by another bridge on a new alignment and how long has it heed abandoned. Have a look at the video and feel free to comment:

 

Good luck! 🙂

Spectacular Bridge Falls- The Top 10 and Film

In connection with the collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, a couple of videos came to mind that I came across recently. Prior to the disaster, there has been a debate as to determining which bridge disasters should be in the top 10, for there are several sources that have their own set- be it in terms of history, natural disasters or even structural failures. Here are a couple examples of bridge disasters that feature the top 10 prior to the Genoa disaster. The first one focuses on disasters in terms of structural failure combined with history.

 

This video focuses on natural disasters and bridge failures, originating from Russia…..

Now here is the homework assignment for you: How would you rank your top 10 bridge disasters? What criteria would you set before finding your ten best examples? Would your focus be on the international stage or would you prefer local examples? And would you agree that your top 10 would be based on natural disasters, structural failures, both or neither of them?

Have a look at the videos and then look for your top ten bridge collapses. You may comment here or on the Chronicles’ facebook page.

Good luck! 🙂

 

BHC Photo of the Week Nr. 14

This Bridge Photo of the Week keeps us at Niagara Falls but takes us north to the Whirlpool Rapids Bridges. They span the Niagara River south of the Rapids at the US/ Canada border. They are both deck arches with Pratt truss features. Yet the question is, ignoring the photo taken in black and white, which one is older, and which one is still open to traffic?

Before going further, I’ll let you debate over this. The answer will come when the tour guide on the bridges of the Niagara Falls comes out before the end of the year. 🙂

 

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 10

Our next pic of the week is also a throwback dating back to almost a decade ago. This pic was taken at sundown at the Arial Lift Bridge in Duluth, Minnesota in September 2009. It was during that time we celebrated our last day in the States with a couple friends from the Mille Lacs region and we decided to take a day trip up north to see the city, its beautiful landscape and pieces of history that are typical of the city. The Arial Lift Bridge was one of those landmarks. Built as a transporter bridge in 1905, it was converted to a vertical lift bridge in 1930 and hs functioned in its original form ever since. For more details, click here. Nevertheless, the bridge still serves as a gateway to the Great Lakes Region , where ships start their journey through the five largest lakes in the United States before continuing along the St. Lawrence River and into the Atlantic Ocean.

And with that marks the start of the weekend. 🙂  Enjoy the pics and the information on the bridge. If you want to know more about the rest of Duluth’s bridges, click on this link.