Sheepford Road Bridge in Pennsylvania to be Restored for Pedestrian Traffic

$1.4 million awarded to the bridge by PennDOT to restore and repurpose the bridge for pedestrians.

HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA (USA)- An early example of an iron through truss bridge built by a local bridge company in Pennsylvania is going to be restored after receiving a sizable amount of money from the state government. State Senator Mike Regan (Republican- Cumberland) announced on April 21st that the Friends of the Sheepford Road Bridge will receive $1.4 million from the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TASA) Funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The TASA Funds is money set aside for projects and activities considered transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, and environmental mitigation, trails that serve a transportation purpose, and safe routes to school projects. It also includes restoration of historic bridges considered vital for areas where recreation is popular.

The Sheepford Road Bridge was one of two bridges that received TASA Funding in the announcement. The bridge was built by Dean and Westbrook of New York City as well as the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania in 1887. It’s one of a handful of bridges remaining in the eastern US that was built using cast and wrought iron and has two unique features: Phoenix columns on its end posts and ornamental portal bracings with builder’s plaque on each end. The Pratt through truss bridge is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Rehabilitated in 1975, the 133-foot long bridge was closed to all traffic in 2000 and since then, efforts had been undertaken to secure funding to repurpose the bridge as a pedestrian crossing, especially as it’s located near a park spanning Yellow Breeches Creek at the Cumberland-York County border. With the awarding of the funding, the Friends of the Sheepford Road Bridge, who have their own website (here), the funding has been secured and construction will begin shortly on restoring the historic bridge and making it a pedestrian crossing. Apart from repainting the bridge, there will be other work on repairing truss parts and renewing the decking, all of which will be done with a firm specializing in restoring historic bridges.

“Two and a half years ago we started this incredible journey to Save Our Bridge, a story with many twists and turns,” stated Janice Lynx, director of the Friends of the Sheepford Bridge, in an interview with the Bridgehunter’s Chronicles. “We stumbled many times and on occasion thought all was lost. But in the end we brought our community, local representatives, and historical organizations together to save a piece of our history.” The Sheepford Road Bridge has already received grants and recognition on the international scale. This included winning the 2021 William Foshag Awards by the Cumberland County Historical Society. The bridge received a silver and bronze medal in the 2021 Bridgehunter Awards in the categories Endangered TRUSS and Bridge of the Year, respectively. The winner in both went to the Historic Bridges in Keeseville, New York. “Grassroots activism works and you can make a different,” stated Lynx. And indeed the Sheepford Road Bridge represents an example of how one local group can make a difference and keep a piece of history that others will enjoy, especially once the restoration is completed.

Your bridge matters, and therefore, congratulatons and best of luck with your next steps in restoring it. ❤ 🙂

All photos courtesy of the Friends of the Sheepford Road Bridge via facebook page.

The other historic bridge that is receiving funding through PennDOT’s TASA Program is the Bogert’s Covered Bridge in Allentown in Lehigh County. The Burr truss bridge was built in 1841 and spans Little Lehigh River. It can be seen north of I-78. The bridge has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. PennDOT awarded $1.3 million to the City of Allentown, which will be used for a complete restoration of the covered bridge, which includes diassembly, restoration of parts and reassembly. When this will take place remains open. But it will continue to serve pedestrians once the restoration project in completed.

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 160: Tribute to James Baughn

Our first Pic of the Week article since August 9th and with that, one of the pictures that was taken by the late James Baughn. This pic of the week provides us with a Guessing Quiz for readers to take a look at and guess where this bridge is located.

As a hint, James Baughn took this photo in 2009 while in Pennsylvania. The bridge no longer exists as it was replaced three years later, yet it is a multiple-span through truss bridge built during the time when the use of steel was at its peak.

Do you know what it is? Provide us with an answer in the comment section below, as well as in the Chronicles’ facebook pages. The answer will come in the next week.

Reminder: The Memorial Bridgehunting Tour has been extended to October 31st. In case you haven’t posted your favorite bridge photo honoring Mr. Baughn on the Chronicles’ facebook or Instagram pages, here’s how you can do that- Click here for details.

Happy Bridgehunting, folks. ❤ 🙂

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 154 Tribute to James Baughn

With bridgehunting come one event that happens each year in the summertime. The Historic Bridge Weekend was introduced in 2009 through a coalition which featured Todd Wilson, Nathan Holth, Kitty Henderson and James Baughn, among others. The 3-4 day conference brought in many experts in bridge preservation and maintenance, as well as engineers, historians, and many interested bridge enthusiasts and locals with a passion for history.

The first two years of the conference took place in western Pennsylvania, which had one of the highest number of iroan and steel truss bridges in the country, yet it was the same state where the rate of replacing historic bridges was one of the highest in the US. Many of the bridges lost to modernization had ties to bridge building firms in the greater Pittsburgh and Cleveland areas. In fact most of the bridge building companies building bridges west of the Mississippi River prior to 1900 came from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and New York, with the likes of King, Groton, Nelson and Buchanan, Lassig and Wrought Iron among others stamping their labels on the portals and endposts, with some ornamental decoration that went along with it.

This picture was taken of the Quaker Bridge by James Baughn in 2010. It was my first year attending the conference and the very first time I met Mr. Baughn, with whom we worked together on his website bridgehunter.com, which is now owned by the Historic Bridge Foundaton. It was this bridge and the movement to save it that caused the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to turn the tide towards bridge replacement and decided that instead of tearing down history, one can save it, even if it meant relocating the structure for reuse, for the agency had been notorious for being too passive in its policies towards historic bridge preservation.

The Quaker Bridge was built in 1898 by the Cleveland Bridge Company with James R. Gemmill overseeing the project. The bridge is a Pratt through truss span with pinned connections, Town lattice portal bracings and finials on each corner. PennDOT had originally pushed for plans to tear down and replace the bridge as far back as 2004. Yet it took the efforts of Nathan Clark to purchase the bridge and persuade the agency to retract its plan and construct a bridge on a new alignment. The project was completed in 2006 and the truss bridge has remained in place ever since- still in pristine condition as shown in the picture taken over a decade ago but now part a hiking trail, although one can use the bridge for fishing and picnicking.

The Historic Bridge Weekend focused on efforts to preserve historic bridges and maintain them for future use, visiting historic bridges that are frequently visited, while some of them were the focus of preservation efforts. We included a lot of bridgehunting tours in addition to the talks that were given by many including myself. It drew hundreds of people to the event, many from the far outreaches of the country. After the first two events in Pennsylvania, we had our next one in Missouri in 2011, Indiana in 2012, Iowa in 2013 and Michigan in 2014 before it became an informal event afterwards where bridgeshunters gathered to just visit the bridges in the areas of interest. The event in Missouri (James’ home state) included tours of bridges in St. Louis and Kansas City with a big gathering to save the Riverside Bridge in Ozark, an event that reunited friends and made the preservation attempt at Riverside a smashing success. 🙂 The event in Iowa in 2013 was one I coordinated with an open-air speech on James Hippen’s legacy by his wife Elaine at a restaurant in Stone City, a large scale informal event at Sutliff Bridge and its nearby Bar and Grill and in Pella at the golf course with a chance to explore the bridges in the Bluffs region, Des Moines and Boone and along the Mississippi.

What we learned from these events was that there was a large interest in saving these historic bridges by the public, yet the problem is trying to convince government officials to cater to the demands of the public. In some cases, we were greeted with lip service, while behind-the-door deals were carried out to have it their way and not with the people. Sometimes, the media sometimes distorts the information on the bridge without thinking that the bridge has a unique value in terms of its history and its association with the community. Still, the word gets around faster with social media than what modernists and government officials championing bridge replacement try conveying, which led to the creation of this online column and its social media pages in 2010. In turn, we have over three dozen pages devoted to historic bridges and preservation around the world on facebook, twitter and even Instagram. Some focus on bridge photography, which is the most liked because they contain brief information on the structures’ history. Yet there are individual pages that focus on preserving a bridge which has gained thousands of supporters each bridge. Save the Riverside Bridge in Ozark had over 3000 supporters on its facebook page, for example. In any case, the Historic Bridge Weekend has produced a large interest in bridges around the world, and when word on a historic bridge being a target for replacement comes around, the interest in saving the structure will be there, each with ideas on how to save it and each one with ties to the bridge and the memories that go along with it.

The Historic Bridge Weekend brought back a lot of memories of friends and bridges, ideas and stories and with that, a circle of pontists that has gotten tenfold bigger since its inauguration. It is hoped that the tradition will continue in the US, Europe and beyond, so that more people can take interest in bridges, its design and especially ways to preserve them for generations to come. The event is not just for pontists but for everyone with an interest in bridges, their histories and how they are tied together with community.

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 105

This week’s pic of the week puts bridges, summertime and swimming all into one. This pic was taken at the Sandcastle Waterpark, located along the Monongahela River in Homestead, one of the suburbs of Pittsburgh. Despite not being overly crowded on this summer day, there were enough people that took advantage and went down water slides, took dips in the pool and showered under the mushroom, like in this picture, taken in 2018. The park was opened to the public in 1989, based on the concept developed by Harry Henninger, and it has been one of the top water attractions in the state ever since. The railroad bridge serves as an excellent backdrop. The three-span Parker through truss bridge is known as the Hazelwood and is located next to another Pittsburgh landmark in the Glenwood Bridge. The railroad bridge was first built in 1884 but was later rebuilt, using the original bridge piers in 1912. The bridge has been in service ever since as the CSX Railroad uses this crossing.

While this summer is different because of the Corona Virus and the lockdowns that many regions are imposing, there is hope that when a vaccination is developed and people are required to take the shot that we will return to normal someday and see places like these full of people again. This would also require a change in attitude in the way we travel, let alone treat our places of natural and historic interest. Still, we have a long ways to go and many good people will be needed to make it happen. We just don’t have it now, but change will come soon enough.

Newsflyer: 6 March 2020

To listen to the podcast, click here.

Headlines:

Fehmarn Bridge to receive a tunnel.

News Story: https://www.fehmarn24.de/fehmarn/bruecke-tunnel-sinds-13572352.html

News Story on the Rehabilitation Project: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Fehmarnsundbruecke-Roboter-saniert-rostige-Seile,fehmarnsundbruecke156.html

Railway Station Bridge in Lübeck to be Replaced

https://www.luebeck-places.de/news/aktuelles/2061-bahnhofsbruecke-wird-ab-fruehjahr-2021-zur-baustelle.html

German Bridge Awards Postponed due to Corona Virus

https://www.baulinks.de/webplugin/2020/0319.php4

Truss Bridge in New Jersey to be Replaced.

News Story: https://eu.dailyrecord.com/story/news/2020/02/21/waterloo-road-bridge-connecting-morris-and-sussex-counties-close/4821614002/

Bridge Info: http://bridgehunter.com/nj/morris/1401038/

Two Historic Bridges in Pennsylvania to be Rehabilitated

Old Ford Road Bridge: http://bridgehunter.com/pa/york/667208096832570/

Chandler Road Bridge: http://bridgehunter.com/pa/chester/chandler-mill/

Mystery Bridge Nr. 124: The Bedstead Truss Bridge in Beaver County, PA

This first mystery bridge of 2020 presents us with a black and white photo of a bridge from a bygone era. Tammy Frank provided this to Workin Bridges and needs your help in finding some information on it. It’s a photo of a Lattice pony truss bridge, located in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Judging by the look of the car crossing it, it appears that the photo was taken between 1920 and 1925. The bridge itself has welded connections but it appears the truss style is bedstead Howe Lattice, one of the rarest truss designs built during that time because of the popularity of the other trusses (Pratt, Parker, Warren, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, etc.) Therefore that date of construction is around 1890-1910. The bridge is long gone, probably replaced 40-50 years ago.

The question is, what else do we know about the bridge? In particular, where in Beaver County, was this structure located?

Any information can be sent via mail but you can also post on the Workin Bridges website, where this pic can be found. Whatever is found, will be added to the bridge’s portfolio.

Thank you for your support and happy bridge and infohunting! 🙂

BHC Newsflyer: 19 August 2019

Available on podcast by clicking here.

Headlines and additional information:

Flehe Bridge. Photo by Wiegels via wikiCommons

40-year old cable-stayed suspension bridge in Dusseldorf under the knife for five years.

Information on the bridge

Interview with Norbert Cleve (In German)

Rudolf-Wissell-Viaduct. Photo taken by Angela Monika Arnold for wikiCommons

The Spaghetti Interchange at Dreieck Funkturm and the Rudolf-Wissell-Viaduct in Berlin to be rebuilt- Commuters planning for the Worst

News article on the project

Information on the replacement viaduct

Wieck Drawbridge. Photo taken by Laplaender for wikiCommons

Sailboat rams historic Wieck Drawbridge in Greifswald, forcing it to close.

Article on the accident

Information on the bridge

New Love Lock railings for historic bridge in Herford in Westphalia

Article on the Harta Bridge in Herford

Bridge Tour Guide

Photo taken by Raymond Klein

Historic Truss Bridge with an unusual skew to be rehabilitated in Pennsylvania

Information on the Bridge and project

The Upper Hurricane Road Bridge in Alabama Relocated and being Rehabbed

Information on the Bridge with photos

Information on the relocation of the Bridge

Information on the Sharon Johnston Park

Skyview of the Cherry Lane Bridge. Photo taken by Dan Lahie for bridgehunter.com

Two bridges in Idaho to be replaced.

Information on the Cherry Lane Truss Bridge in Nez Perce County

Information on the Fun Farm Truss Bridge and Sale of structure in Fremont County

The search for Information on the Viaduct in Mittweida, Germany and the Inventor of his truss design, Ernest M. Wichert

Mystery Bridge Article on the Viaduct

Biography on Ernest Wichert to date

Plus: Information on the Iron and Steel Preservation Conference in October in Michigan

Click on the links highlighted in blue to read more in addition to listening to the Podcast. 🙂

BHC Pic of the Week Nr. 59

The first pic of the week since the move is actually a throwback to last year’s trip to the US. During a week-long stay in Pittsburgh visiting friends and doing some activities, we ran across the first of two bridges, spanning the tracks of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad at West Park. The two spans are nearly identical: Warren pony trusses built in three sets of ten panels (the middle one used to divide the street), each having V-shaped alternating vertical beams and vertical connections. Each were built in 1903 by the Fort Pitt Bridge Works Company in Pittsburgh. The only difference is the fact that they are located 400 feet from each other- one crossing at Ohio Street and this one at Ridge Avenue. Sadly, both spans have been closed for over a decade and were scheduled to be removed at the time of the visit. Yet during the visit in 2018, the two structures were still standing- rather untouched except by nature and walkers who can climb over or pass through the barriers to get to the nearby Children’s Museum on the east end. As both bridges are still standing as of present and are in a park setting, a word of advice to the City of Pittsburgh: If you are cash-strapped and are struggling to catch up on the infrastructural woes (and there are still some since the visit), why not rehab the bridge and make one crossing for cars and another for recreational purposes? It’s affordable. It can generate tourism- especially if you want to add plaques, picnic areas and the like. And it would solve the problem of forcing drivers to take a long detour, which is costly- both financially as well as for the environment. As we’re looking for ways to green up our planet and reduce carbon dioxide levels, it is something to think about.

Newsflyer: 28 July, 2019

Clarendon Bridge in Arkansas. Photo taken by C. Hanchey in 2012

Author’s note: This is the first podcast since the move and features all the events that happened over the past 2-3 weeks. The most current version of Newsflyer (for the week of August 5th, 2019) will follow.

To listen to the podcast, click here.

Links to the News Stories:

Heat wave cripples Europe:

Summary of the heatwave

The Impact of the heatwave on the moveable bridges

Clarendon Cantilever Truss Bridge in Arkansas to be Demolished:

The end of the campaign to save the bridge after court ruling

Obituary of the bridge

Information on the bridge via bridgehunter.com

Trucker destroys historic bridge in North Dakota:

Summary of the incident

Information on the bridge via bridgehunter.com