Saturday, September 14, 2024

1996 Hodenpyl Suspension Bridge over Manistee River near Mesick, MI

(Satellite, 740 photos)

Angel Ross posted two photos with the comment:
As you drive along M-37 in Northern Michigan, you’ll come across a turnoff for a suspension bridge that spans the Manistee River just southwest of Mesick. 
This is the Little Mac Bridge, a popular spot for tourists and locals alike.
The wooden suspension bridge is located northeast of the town of Manistee in the heart of the Manistee National Forest. It is a popular spot for hikers, photographers, and nature lovers alike, and it provides stunning views of the river and surrounding forest.
If you’re looking for a picturesque spot to enjoy nature and take in the beauty of Michigan, the Little Mac Bridge over the Manistee River is the perfect destination.
Dan Willey: It's called Hodenpyl suspension bridge or the North Trail suspension bridge. Little Mac is in Reed City and is a replica of the real thing.
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Tim Sheerer commented on the above post
Was just there
 
Chris Benites commented on the above post
We visited October 2022, it was beautiful.

Jeff Carroll commented on the above post
Was there last weekend!

Dawn K. Tate commented on the above post
Was just there

VisitManisteeCounty via BridgeHunter, License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike (CC BY-SA)
"Part of the 11-mile trail project to create the Manistee River Trail in 1992, the Suspension Bridge, or “Little Mac” Foot Bridge is a 245’ [75m] pedestrian foot bridge completed in 1996."


Friday, September 13, 2024

Carola (Carolabrücke) Bridge over Elbe River in Dresden, Germany Partially Colappsed

(Satellite)

No one was injured.

6:05 video @ 0:24
 
apnews

Before at 2:48:04 am.
6:05 video at 2:40

After at 2:59:05, less than a minute later.  Note that the street lights along the left are gone and the deck is hanging down.
6:05 video at 2:42

1912,1997 Mitchell Road Bridge over Erie Canal in Pittsford, NY

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)


Street View, Jun 2017
 
Thomas Engel posted
Mitchell Road, Pittsford, NY. This spans the Erie Canal. Under it is the unique Harcon lift boat.
 

Samuel Brown-Steiner, Jul 2014

Thursday, September 12, 2024

1913,1973,2016 8th Street (Albertus L. Meyers) Bridge over Little Lehigh Creek in Allentown PA

(Archived Bridge HunterHistoric Bridges; HAERSatellite)

This 1,793' (547m) long bridge has a main span of 135 (41m). [HistoricBridges]

Street View, Jul 2024

HAER PA,39-ALLEN,8--11 (CT)
OVERVIEW FROM SOUTHEAST. - South Eighth Street Viaduct, Spanning Little Lehigh Creek at Eighth Street (State Route 2055), Allentown, Lehigh County, PA
[This is the bridge before the 2016 rehab.]

Significance: The South Eighth Street Viaduct (Albertus L. Meyers Bridge) is one of the earliest surviving examples of "monumental" reinforced concrete construction. Initially planned in 1900 as a steel truss structure over the Little Lehigh Creek, the final result, built more than a decade later, represents the financial collaboration between the Allentown Bridge Company's founders and Harry Trexler, owner of the Lehigh Portland Cement Company. At the turn of the twentieth century, concrete and related products were becoming an important component in the Lehigh Valley's economy alongside the earlier iron and steel industries. The South Eighth Street Viaduct is fine example of the adaptation of architecture and engineering to local landscapes and economic needs. The structure was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [HAER_data]

1916 Postcard via BridgeHunter

HistoricBridges

Jeff Flickr
Cars Pass Under the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge
The Albertus L. Meyers Bridge (also known as the Eighth Street Bridge) is a reinforced concrete arch bridge with 17 spans, located in Allentown, PA, USA.
When opened for traffic on November 17, 1913, it was known as the Eighth Street Bridge, and was the longest and highest concrete bridge in the world.
The bridge spans the Little Lehigh Creek and Martin Luther King Blvd, as well as the former Mack Truck assembly plant.

HAER PA,39-ALLEN,8--5
3/4 VIEW OF BASE OF ARCH FROM NORTHEAST.

Bridges Now and Then posted
Eighth Street Bridge construction, Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1912. (Public Domain)

Wednesday, September 11, 2024

1905-2013 NYC Hojack Swing Bridge over Genesee River in Rochester, NY

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite, there were some photos of a plaque, but the resolution was bad.)

"Built in 1905 for the New York Central's "Hojack Line," line abandoned late 1970's, bridge officially placed out of service c1993-1994." [BridgeHunter]
It was removed in 2013.
 
Photo taken by Ed Storey in 1975 via BridgeHunter

Wayne Wood posted two photos with the comment: "Built in 1905, the Hojack Swing Bridge was located in middle of the Genesee River in the Charlotte (pronounced shar-LOTTE) area of Rochester, NY. It carried the New York Central RR across the river, yet remained in the open position to allow for boat traffic (Rochesterians LOOOVE their boats). It was decommissioned after the rail traffic on it ceased and, sadly, was dismantled in 2013"
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A search of Flickr returns lots of photos. This is one of them.
Brian Benson Flickr
Hojack Swing Bridge

Google Earth, May 2011

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

1996 Laminate Wood Arch Bridge over Partridge River in Hoyt Lakes, MN.

(no Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2023

Joe Fishbein posted three photos with the comment: "Another unique but somewhat obscure Minnesota bridge.  69596 is a 3-hinge timber arch bridge, carrying Allen Junction Road over the Partridge River near Hoyt Lakes, St. Louis County.  It was built in 1996 and is the only one of its kind in the state.  My photos from our 2021 inspection."
CJ Bahan: Kinda begs the question why? [See Joe's comment on a photo below.]
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Joe Fishbein commented on CJ's comment
My guess is that it was a project to show that timber was a viable material for bridge construction. Paid for with "Federal Forest Highway Demonstration funds." Except for the steel floorbeams, hangers and pin assemblies, the bridge is constructed entirely of timbe

Monday, September 9, 2024

1963 Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles River in Los Angeles, CA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Feb 2023

WaterAndPower, RegularDaddy
"The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a 1,500-foot-long [457m] suspension bridge, crossing the Los Angeles Harbor, linking San Pedro with Terminal Island. It is the only suspension bridge in the Greater Los Angeles area....The bridge opened in 1963 and is named for California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San Pedro, who championed its construction."

WaterAndPower, L.A. Harbor Department Photo
"The bridge is 6,060 feet [1,847m] long, 52 feet [16m] wide, 365 feet [110m] tall.  Its longest span is 1,500 feet [457m], and the clearance below is 185 feet [56m]."

Bridges Now and Then posted
On San Pedro, California's, Vincent Thomas Bridge, c. 1962. (Chronobook)
Dave Frieder: Main Cables and suspender ropes by John A. Roebling's Sons Inc.

Another reminder that the cables don't hang correctly until they have their design weight attached.
WaterAndPower, PortOfLosAngeles
"The Vincent Thomas Bridge is the first suspension span ever to be built on steel piles — 990 of them were sunk to hold it up, instead of the more traditional concrete supports. And it is the first to be built entirely without rivets; the steel is welded together." [No use of rivets explains why Historic Bridges doesn't include this bridge.]

Before the bridge was built, this was the terminal building for the ferry service. It is now the Los Angeles Maritime Museum. [WaterAndPower
The Battleship USS Iowa Museum is just a little upstream from here.
Street View, May 2019

SanPedro
In 2005, it got 160 blue LED lights. They are powered by solar panels. "The solar panels feed more electricity into the grid during the day than the LED lights use at night."

Caltrans is planning a $628.5m project to replace the deck. [DailyBreeze]
The bridge carries 53,000 vehicles per day, including nearly 4,700 heavy-duty trucks. [labusinessjournal
And most of those trucks are probably carrying containers. Container trains may reduce truck traffic on rural highways, but they increase it on urban streets. But, of course, it is the urban streets that have a big congestion issue to begin with.

1938 Howard Street Bridges over I-83 and CSX/B&O Tracks in Baltimore, MD

(no Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

''Built 1937-38; rehabilitated 1981" [Bridge Hunter Index]

Street View, Jun 2024

Street View, Nov 2017

Mike Elliott posted
Howard Street Bridge - Baltimore,Md. circa 1955
By A. Aubrey Bodine - Baltimore's Best Pictorialist
Bridges Now and Then shared

The bridge crosses the railroad tracks soon after they emerge from the north portal of the Howard Street Tunnel.
Satellite

1852 US-250 Philippi Covered Bridge over Tygart Valley River in Philippi, WV

(Archived Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite, 514 photos)

The Burr arch-truss spans in this 311' (95m) long bridge are 78' (24m) long. "It was the site of the first land battle of the Civil War on June 3, 1861, and was subsequently crossed by both Union and Confederate troops in various stages of the war." [BridgeHunter]
This is "one of two in the county that survived the war without being burned." [Tony Dillon comment on BridgeHunter]

Street View, Aug 2022
 
2007 photo taken by Tom Hall via BridgeHunter

Note the heavy metal bars across the road in case a trucker doesn't notice the 10'-3" sign.
Street View, Apr 2023

The B&O Depot close to the bridge is now a museum.
Street View, Aug 2022

Randall Hampton posted five photos with the comment:
Historic covered bridge at Philippi, the only double that I've ever seen.  The 8 original laminated wood arches are easy to see, but now they're only cosmetic.  To support modern truck traffic, two more support piers in the river were added, along with steel I-beams under the decking.  The stone pier is original.
A former B&O passenger station stands at the east end of the bridge.
Allen Malcomb: Doing the repair after the fire they found some old lead that was fire from muskets in the arches .
Randall Hampton: The bridge was used by both sides in the Civil War.
[Several comments mention a couple of mummies that are in the museum.]
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Randall Hampton shared
John Voelker: I was on a training trip for the Chessie System Coal Department in 1983. We stopped at the Bridge in Philippi and the guy training me took my picture. I remember he told me that the first skirmish of the Civil War was fought there.

James Scott posted six photos in a COVERED BRIDGES Group with the comment:
Philippi covered bridge, located in the town of Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia. The oldest and longest covered bridge in the state. Damaged by fire in 1989 and restored. Built in 1852, at 304 [93m] feet in length, over the Tygart River. The bridge is supported by a Burr Arch variation. 
The town and bridge was the site of the first land battle of the civil war. Photo takes 08/17/2024.
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Terry Chafin provided four photos in comments on James' post.
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