The County has an old bridge that they haven’t completely disposed of.

[dennis40x]

The old bridge frame work

The new bridge

Up stream

Down stream

Along the scenic Dan River one would note the new bridge with out ever seeing the old bridge structure. I believe there is a reason or was a reason for preserving the old bridge structure but it eludes me. Most likely the county and state agencies responsible had their reasons.

 

[dennis40x]

The old bridge frame work

The new bridge

Up stream

Down stream

Along the scenic Dan River one would note the new bridge with out ever seeing the old bridge structure. I believe there is a reason or was a reason for preserving the old bridge structure but it eludes me. Most likely the county and state agencies responsible had their reasons.

 

[Indiana George]

In Indiana, there is/was occasionally a market for the old steel bridges: Some of the tax-dollar-poor counties have been known to purchase, refurbish and use them.

 

[Sven]

Maybe they're waiting for the price of scrap steel to go back up.

I love those old bridges, but I realize most need to be replaced. I wish I had been taking pictures of many of the old ones. There used to be an old draw bridge west of town on the Mississippi River (headwaters section). The last (and one of the only times) it was used a couple of guys were trying to get a home made house boat up river to a duck camp. Guess they got the bridge stuck partway open for quite a while. That was back in the '40s.

 

[walter o]

It might be a historical reason .I know some bridges in northern Indiana were built from steel used in the ferris wheel from the chicago worlds fair.The bridge was across the kankakee river .Don't know if it is still in use.It might be answered by a call to the county or the historical society in the area.

 

[FrankD45]

Dennis:

That is a perfectly good bridge. I'm sure the rust stains will buff out and you would be amazed at what a coat of paint would do. A couple of years of drought and we could use it over the Yadkin.

Frank

 

[Munsterf18]

People do buy them. I had a neighbor that bought an old highway bridge to use on his farm. Perfectly good for non highway use.

Moving it might be a challenge!

Munster

 

[dennis40x]

Originally posted by FrankD45:
Dennis:
That is a perfectly good bridge.
Frank

When we first relocated to North Carolina there was talk of replacing it. Then a weight restriction was placed on it. After that it was closed. Then there were cost studies made to replace it. Then the replacement was prioritized. It was a low priority by everyone till the next election season. The one after that and on it went. The candidates seeking office would acknowledge some thing had to be done. Finally it was replaced.

 

[41collector]

Where the heck is that? I've been over the Dan on most roads around here, but don't recall that new bridge.

 

[gr8AmericanBash]

You'd be surprised at the conditions of some of the bridges in NC, especially in the mountains.
When I worked for NCDOT, we visited one bridge that you could walk onto the deck, and look down through the asphalt and see the river beneath. And not just one hole, it was in several spots.
Have a good drive!

 

[dennis40x]

Originally posted by 41collector:
Where the heck is that? I've been over the Dan on most roads around here, but don't recall that new bridge.

NC89, Seven Island Rd Danbury

 

[dennis40x]

Originally posted by gr8AmericanBash:
You'd be surprised at the conditions of some of the bridges in NC, especially in the mountains.
When I worked for NCDOT, we visited one bridge that you could walk onto the deck, and look down through the asphalt and see the river beneath. And not just one hole, it was in several spots.
Have a good drive!

There was a bridge that had wood planking covered by asphalt which was replaced by a newer bridge. One bridge that I walk over has holes in the deck along the edges and the under structure appears to be problematic. Its on the replacement list

 

[zoom6zoom]

They're probably trying to get in on that "bridge to nowhere" funding.

 

[n4zov]

A lot of old bridges like that are used as pedestrian only bridges in parks and other places with lots of pedestrian traffic. They work great in that role and save the cost of erecting an expensive purpose-built bridge.

 

[Andy Griffith]

One of the longest out-of-commission bridges that is "still standing" in Georgia that I know of and have seen personally is Trembling Bridge down in Washington County, I believe if memory serves me.

Used to have a USFS shooting range right before you got to where the bridge started and the road ends.

I don't know when the bridge was built, but by the strange construction of it, it had to have been before 1900.

From the looks of it, it probably "trembled" when it was first built!

 

[dennis40x]

For those that lived in Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh in particular "The Bridge To No Where" was a fact of life for an extended period of time. On occasion there were drivers that utilized it. The impact on the north shore was detrimental to both driver and vehicle.

There are those in the same area that may recall "The Broken Bridge". This reference was made to the I-79 Bridge crossing the Ohio River down river from Pittsburgh. A towboat operator passing under the bridge reported there was a crack in the main beam. Inspection of the bridge revealed a faulty weld. The welding procedure was found to be a problem and all welds on the bridge had to be inspected.

Pittsburgh is some times referred to as "The City of Bridges". It wasn't unusual to have an occasional bridge jumper. I witness a women jump off a bridge. She was lucky a pleasure boat operator pull her out immediately after impact.

Then there was the shooter. The individual climbed up on the bridge superstructure. He had a small caliber handgun. He would randomly fire shots into downtown then turn around and fire shots over to the North Side. I needed to cross the bridge. I walked across the bridge as the superstructure blocked his view and having just gotten out of the Marine Corps being shot at was nothing new to me.

So the bridges here in this part of North Carolina are less nettlesome. We haven't had a sober jumper or a shooter yet.

 

[guntownuncle]

The City of Gonzales took an old bridge that used to cross the Guadalupe River, refurbished it, and now it is used as a pedestrian bridge in the city park. It crosses a creek that divides two sections of the park. We still have some on county roads.