1908: (
Archived Bridge Hunter;
Bridge Hunter;
HAER)
1993: (Satellite)
1908 Concrete Arch Bridge
 |
HAER OHIO,60-ROSE,1--1
1. GENERAL VIEW OF SOUTH ELEVATION OF BRIDGE AND SETTING - First Street Reinforced Concrete Bridge, Spanning Moxahala Creek at First Street (CR 7), Roseville, Muskingum County, OH |
"Significance: This bridge is an unusual example of an
ornamental reinforced concrete bridge, and the
first bridge designed by the noteworthy engineer,
Benjamin C. Gerwick, who received patents for
pre-stressed concrete construction and a caisson
foundation solution in bridge construction. It
also exemplifies the movement away from metal
truss bridges by county highway departments
towards a preference for concrete bridge
construction during the early decades of the 20th
"Reinforced concrete bridges first came to national attention as the
result of a presentation by Fritz von Emperger, an Austrian civil
engineer, at the meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers in
April 1894 at New York City. American engineers met von Emperger*s
remarks with skepticism. Concrete commonly was used for bridges in
France and Germany, but its use in bridge construction was not generally
accepted in the United States. Americans doubted whether the available
materials of the 1890s and the slender, flat concrete bridge design used
in Germany suited the extreme climates of North America. Yet, as the
1890s progressed and the twentieth century began, a number of bridge
builders, including several in Ohio, dared to use concrete. Those first
concrete bridges spurred an increase in the popularity of concrete
bridges in America. The improvements of reinforcing steel and concrete
aided the acceptance of concrete bridges by Americans. An Ohio company,
Buckeye Portland Cement Company, stands among the earlier developers of
improved materials and its success is partially responsible for an early
2
acceptance of concrete bridges in Ohio." [
HAER_data]
1993 Modern Truss Bridge
Looking East:
Looking East with the inclusion of the flood gate. We can see the floodwall in the corner of the video screenshot, so it is looking East. Since the water is flowing to the left in the video, it is going North. I followed Moxahala Creek north to determine that it dumps into the Muskingum River just south of Zanesville. Muskingum River goes south to the Ohio River. So the heavy rains in Ohio State, plus the record flood rains in Indiana on the White and Whitewater Rivers, are going to the Ohio River. But I haven't seen anything about the Ohio River flooding.
Looking West to verify that the west side has a levee while the east side doesn't.
Both sides of the Moxahala Creek are in Roseville, OH.
And both sides of the bridge are in Muskingum County at 1st Street.
So the difference in levee protection is not because of the tax base. I looked closer at the street views, the difference is that there is a river bank on the west side and the east side is down in a flood plain.
I was disappointed that Bridge Hunter did not have an entry for the truss bridge. I understand that modern girder bridges are not worth noting. But I think any truss bridge is worth noting. If anything, modern truss bridges are more worthy because they are now so seldom built.
I noticed that the weight limit between the street views of Apr 2025 and the video of Aug 2026 has been significantly reduced. I wonder what is wrong. When I Googled "roseville ohio truss bridge" I got the
Athens Road Bridge. But a satellite image shows that it has been replaced with girder bridge. Street views show it was replaced between May 2012 and Aug 2021. So I still don't know what is going wrong with the 1st Street Bridge that has caused the need for reduced weight limits.
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