BHC Newsflyer: 8 October, 2019

Bleicher Hag Bridge in Ulm, Germany: Officially doomed. Set for removal by 2020

 

To listen to the podcast, click here.

Headlines: 

Historic Bridge at Bleicher Hag in Ulm, Germany closed to all traffic- removal planned for next year

Article: https://www.swp.de/suedwesten/staedte/ulm/verkehr-in-ulm-beringer-bruecke-ab-sofort-auch-fuer-fussgaenger-und-radfahrer-voll-gesperrt-38666873.html

Tour Guide: https://bridgehunterschronicles.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/the-bridges-of-ulm-germany/

50th annual Covered Bridge Festival in Madison County, Iowa and the Reopening of the Cedar Bridge

Article: https://www.radioiowa.com/2019/10/07/rebuilt-cedar-bridge-will-be-dedicated-at-annual-madison-county-festival/

Tour Guide: http://bridgehunter.com/ia/madison/

 

Historic Brunswick Railroad Bridge in Kansas washed away by floods

Article: https://bridgehunterschronicles.wordpress.com/2019/10/08/brunswick-railroad-bridge-washes-away/

 

Historic Bridge in Massachusetts receives award for its rehabilitation

Article: https://www.beta-inc.com/project/central-avenue-elliot-street-bridge-rehabilitation/

 

Historic Battleground Golf Course Bridge in Deer Park, Texas Reopens after Facelift

Article: https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/deerpark/news/article/108-year-old-bridge-in-Deer-Park-to-get-471-000-13634380.php

Bridge Info: http://bridgehunter.com/tx/harris/bh49528/

 

 

Historic bridge in Bowling Green, Indiana relocated to Nashville in Brown County.

Bridge Info: http://bridgehunter.com/in/clay/17050/ 

 

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Brunswick Railroad Bridge Washes Away

Photo courtesy of NSR, found on bridgehunter.com website

BRUNSWICK, KANSAS- Heavy rainfalls and flooding has been the theme for this year in much of the central and Midwestern parts of the US. High waters have damaged or destroyed many buildings, highways and bridges, disrupting services and causing billions of dollars in damage.

The Norfolk and Southern Railroad (NSR) Bridge spanning the Grand River near Brunswick, Kansas has joined the growing list of casualties from this abnormal year. A week ago on October 1^st, high waters and debris from fallen trees and buildings took out the century old viaduct, thus cutting off service between Moberley and Kansas City, Missouri. While the photo of the bridge remains in its aftermath is scary, a video posted by officials at NSR, showing the power of Mother Nature and the magnitude of the destruction of this bridge puts it beyond what we saw with the ice jams destroying bridges in Nebraska earlier in the year. It can even be comparative to a movie laden with such disasters.

The bridge itself was the second crossing at Brunswick. The multiple-span deck plate girder spans were built in 1916 and had a span of over 600 feet long. Its predecessor was a four-span Whipple through truss bridge that had been built in 1885 and served the Wabash Railroad for nearly three decades. These spans were eventually reused on branches of the railroad connecting Moberley and Des Moines, Iowa as well as Moulton and Ottumwa, also in Iowa. These lines were discontinued by the early 1980s, and all but one of the spans have been removed and scrapped. The remaining span from the original Brunswick crossing is privately owned and can be found spanning Village Creek south of Ottumwa. Two of the demolished truss spans used to span English Creek before they were destroyed to make way for the Red Rock Lake project, which was completed by 1968.

The author would like to thank Sandra Huemann-Kelly for bringing this to the readers’ attention.

Newsflyer: 16 September 2019

Quebec City Bridge. Photo by Martin St-Amant [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D

 

To listen to the Podcast, please click here: https://anchor.fm/jason-smith-bhc19/episodes/BHC-Newsflyer-16-September–2019-e5fdn3

 

The Headines for this week (Details available per link):

Lawsuit against the State of Maine for its handling of a key historic bridge

Information on the Frank J. Wood Bridge: http://bridgehunter.com/me/cumberland/2016/

Information on the Lawsuit: https://www.paintsquare.com/news/?fuseaction=view&id=21566

Interview with the Chronicles:

https://bridgehunterschronicles.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/locals-fight-to-preserve-the-frank-j-wood-bridge-in-maine/

 

Historic Bridge in Erfurt, Germany relocated to its third home for rehabilitation. Fourth home being sought.

Article: https://bridgehunterschronicles.wordpress.com/2019/09/11/riethbrucke-in-erfurt-dismantled/

 

Fire destroys historic bridge over the Colorado River at Parker, Arizona.

Info on the Bridge: http://bridgehunter.com/ca/san-bernardino/540999/

Article: https://www.rtands.com/railroad-news/fire-destroys-genesee-wyoming-rail-bridge-across-colorado-river/

 

Historic Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge in Fredricton, New Brunswick getting new decking:

Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/bill-thorpe-walking-bridge-construction-1.5284866

 

Canadian Government to reclaim the Quebec Bridge from Canadian National Railroad in an attempt to restore it

Information on Quebec Bridge: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=quebec/quebec/

Article: https://www.bridgeweb.com/Canadian-government-takes-action-to-restore-Quebec-Bridge/5065

 

Historic bridge in Sweden to be replaced.

Article: https://www.bridgeweb.com/Replacement-of-Swedens-Stor-Bridge-begins/5071

 

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 65

This week’s Pic of the Week comes earlier than usual because of the Newsflyer podcast being moved later.  It’s also a throwback to almost a decade ago. There, together with Nathan Holth and Luke Gordon, we found this gem in Jefferson County, Ohio, near the border to Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The Piney Fork Truss Bridge is located off Ohio State Highway 152, north of Dillonvale. It carries a private drive but can be accessed from the highway. The bridge is a Lattice girder pony truss bridge, which is the only one of its kind left in the USA which has an outrigger, which one normally finds  in a truss bridge with angled endposts. And while the bridge’s uniqueness and history can be explained further via HistoricBridges.org website (click here), this side view was taken in August 2010 at the time of the Historic Bridge Weekend in Pittsburgh. The bridge’s setting is right in the middle of summer, only a couple weeks before the first leaves turned color. The pic was taken in the middle of the creek when water levels were low. Nevertheless, it was a one-in-a-bluemoon shot.

The bridge still stands to this day, unaltered and alone. But be rest assured the bridge will get a few visits as the forest will present their colors, just like the rest of the Appalachian region.

 

 

Newsflyer: 9 September, 2019

 

Click here to listen to the Podcast. The links and photos of the bridges in detail are below:

 

Links:

Historic Staffeler Bridge in Limburg to be replaced. Old bridge to be repurposed for recreational use:

https://www.fnp.de/lokales/limburg-weilburg/limburg-hessen-staffeler-bruecke-soll-bleiben-12947468.html

 

Gänsetorbrücke spanning the River Danube at Ulm. Photo taken by AHert [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D

Historic Gänsetorbrücke in Ulm/ Neu-Ulm to be torn down and replaced after losing its historic status:

https://www.swp.de/suedwesten/staedte/ulm/gaenstorbruecke-denkmalschutz-ist-vom-tisch-33019623.html

The Bridges of Ulm: https://bridgehunterschronicles.wordpress.com/2015/10/27/the-bridges-of-ulm-germany/

Ulrich Finsterwalder Biography: https://www.b-tu.de/great-engineers-lexikon/ingenieure/finsterwalder-ulrich-1897-1988

King William Road with the Towers of the Bridge in the Background. Photo taken by Adam J.W.C (wikiCommons)

Historic King William Bridge in Adelaide, Australia to either close or be replaced by 2030:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-04/king-william-road-adelaide-bridge-might-need-to-be-replaced/11476978

 

Historic Bridge Stones stolen by vandals at historic bridge in Yorkshire. Police investigating:

https://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/crime/yorkshire-stone-stolen-from-200-year-old-grade-1-listed-bridge-at-ferrybridge-1-9969320

Hammersmith Bridge in London. Source: “Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0”

Historic Hammersmith Bridge in London to be Rehabilitated. Closed for three years.

https://www.taxi-point.co.uk/single-post/2019/09/03/Hammersmith-Bridge-repair-work-starts-and-expected-to-last-THREE-YEARS

Mangaweka Bridge in New Zealand spared demolition- will remain as a pedestrian/ bike crossing:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12264113

 

Brunel’s historic bridge in Bristol celebrating its birthday milestone (not the suspension bridge though):

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/whats-on/huge-birthday-celebrations-brunels-bridge-3277964

 

And Information on preservation and fundraising efforts (Contact Details included):

https://www.brunelsotherbridge.org.uk/

 

Historic drawbridge in Florida rehabbed and reopened to traffic:

http://bocanewspaper.com/camino-bridge-finally-reopens-after-renovations-28231

Historic bridge in Costa Rica faces unknown future as community mulls at replacement:

https://vozdeguanacaste.com/en/historic-bridge-in-liberia-faces-uncertain-future/

 

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 63

This week’s pic of the week is a throwback to eight years ago and to this bridge. The Ellsworth Ranch Bridge, located in Emmet County, Iowa, is one of five remaining Thacher truss bridges left in the United States and one of two of its kind left in Iowa. Patented by Edwin Thacher in 1881, the Thacher truss is a hybrid between a Warren, Pratt and Kellogg trusses that supports the middle portion of the span with the tension being on the lower chord. There were two different types of Thachers- of which this one only has one vertical column per outer panel that slanted down towards the central panel, which features the A-frame. In other words, this type consists of three panels. Some detailed pictures can be found per link via bridgehunter.com which you can click here.

This crossing was built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio in 1895. That company was primarily responsible for these three-panel variants of the Thacher truss. Milo O. Adams was the company’s agent at that time. It was closed to traffic in 2007 and has since been standing. Despite this, the structure appears to be in tact, the flooring unaltered and not worn out. And the green color still keeps its color, camouflaging the surrounding green, including the cornfield in the background. And this is what makes this sniper, tunnel view taken from the road at about 400 feet more unique. This picture was taken in July 2011 while on an extensive bridgehunting tour through Iowa enroute to St. Louis for the Historic Bridge Convention. One can get this shot still, but the bridge has its unique vantage points, including the side view with trees in the background as well as the deck view while on the bridge. It’s a good starting point for the novice photographer who is working with his/her camera for the first time.

So go out there, find your favorite bridge and have at it. 🙂 ❤

 

1. The other Thacher bridge in Iowa is the Okoboji Bridge in Dickinson County, the only known Thacher pony truss bridge that had spanned the Little Sioux River. That bridge is currently in storage awaiting relocation. For more information, click here.Iowa was one of the breeding grounds for Thacher truss bridges for as many as 10 were built between 1885 and 1900. 
2.  The Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio was the other bridge company responsible for constructing Thacher truss bridges but using the textbook design featuring Pratt, Warren and Kellogg designs. The longest of its kind ever built was the Philipps Mill and Crossing in Floyd County in Iowa. Today, the Costilla Crossing in Colorado and the Linnville Bridge in Virginia are the only two bridges of its kind left in the country.

 

Mystery Bridge Nr. 119: The Pony Trusses From Nowhere?

Photo taken by James McCray

HOLBROOK, ARIZONA- Fellow pontist James McCray had an interesting found that was brought to the attention of the readers via bridgehunter.com. During his recent trip in Navajo County in Arizona, he found six pony trusses alongside a road west of Holbrook. They are near I-40 and US Highway 180 which used to be Route 66 before it was decommissioned by 1980. The trusses are double-intersecting Pratt with riveted connections, which pins the construction date to the earliest 1900. Each one is between 40 and 60 feet long. The question is where did they originate from? Were these spans part of a multiple-span crossing? Even a Route 66 crossing?

Click on the link here to get the coordinates and additional information including photos. Feel free to comment on them or even express interest in taking them. Currently they are in storage, standing side-by-side, awaiting relocation.

Happy Bridgehunting. 🙂