Monday, March 9, 2026

1927+1949+2007 SC-45 Bridges over Diversion Canal north of Charleston, SC

1927: (the trusses were repurposed from another bridge that was built in 1927.)
1949: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; HAER)
2007: (Satellite)

I was going to skip another lost truss bridge until is saw that the two deck trusses were designed as through trusses. John's comment below explains why.

SCDOT posted two photos with the comment:
Pictured here in 1950 is the original steel truss bridge on SC 45 over the Diversion Canal in Berkeley County. Built in 1941 as part of a Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie hydroelectric project, this steel truss structure spanned the canal for nearly 70 years.
This bridge was replaced in 2007 with a modern bridge structure. The new bridge was constructed using concrete girders, not steel components. It spans 145 feet and holds nearly 4,000 vehicles each day.
John Fondren: Did you know that those three truss were originally part of the bridge over the Santee River at Santee before the lakes were constructed? They were moved here and repurposed.
1

2

"Significance: The SC 45 Bridge over the Santee-Cooper Diversion Canal is an uncommon example of a reinforced concrete and steel truss bridge. Placement of three original through steel trusses--one a widened through truss and two deck trusses under the road--make this bridge unique in appearance. The South Carolina Highway Department's use of salvaged steel trusses from the U.S. 15 Santee River Bridge, completed in 1927, also adds to the distinctiveness of the bridge. The SC 45 Santee Cooper Diversion Canal Bridge is perhaps the first salvaged bridge project undertaken by the South Carolina Highway Department." [HAER_data]

HAER SC-37-7
7. Distant view of northwest side of bridge, facing southeast. - U.S. 15 Santee River Bridge, SC Road 45 spanning Santee-Cooper Diversion Canal, Eadytown, Berkeley County, SC

1929 McPhaul Bridge over Gila River east of Yuma, AZ

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

"The 1184' (361m) long bridge has a main span of 798' (243m). the deck width was 14.7' (4.5m)." [BridgeHunter]

Yuma Then & Now posted
McPhaul Bridge was only 16 feet [4.9m] wide, the bridge was too narrow for a US numbered highway when built in 1929. It would have been too narrow, as the US highway system required two 9 foot [2.7m] lanes.[But BridgeHunter says it carried US-95 until it was bypassed in 1968.

Aaron Massey commented on the above post

Aaron Massey commented on the above post

2006 photo by Ron Brown via BridgeHutner

Randy avery, Nov 2017

Sunday, March 8, 2026

1958,1983+1992 I-95 Bridge over Mianus River in Greenwich, CT, Collapsed in 1983

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

"Built 1958; partially collapsed June 28, 1983, killing 3 people; entire bridge replaced by new bridge in 1992" The span collapsed "due to corrosion of pin-and-hangar assembly." [BridgeHunter]

Andrea Paints posted
Just after 1:30 am on June 28 1983 a forty foot section of the Mianus River Bridge on Interstate 95 in Greenwich Connecticut collapsed.
Cars traveling at highway speed suddenly disappeared into the gap. Some plunged into the river. Others landed on fractured concrete below. Drivers approaching the break stopped only seconds before reaching the open space.
Rescuers used ropes, boats, and ladders to reach victims trapped on broken sections of roadway. Divers searched the river for vehicles that sank beneath the surface.
Investigators discovered that corrosion in the hanger assemblies caused critical support components to fail. Water and road salt had eaten into parts of the structure that were never inspected.
The collapse killed three people and triggered nationwide bridge inspection reforms, including stricter corrosion monitoring and mandatory structural evaluations.
Some survival stories are about strength you can see.
This one is about steel weakened by time and rescuers who climbed into a broken highway suspended over a river.
[I wonder if they let the drains get plugged so that the salt water could not leave the deck the proper way.]

Andrea Paints commented on her post
The Mianus collapse changed how every state inspects highway bridges. Many of today’s structural safety rules exist because of this failure.
Nick Pedicini: Remember it well. I was working for a NYC based retailer and I was supposed to drive up to the New Haven branch store on the 28th. I woke up to the news that I-95 was closed. I tried to drive up using side roads but they were jammed - you had tractor-trailers inching up and down those hills on two-lane side roads with every road bumper-to-bumper through those small towns. I gave up and went home. A week or so later, they had rigged a temporary bridge section over they missing piece and I made it up and back but it took hours to get through the bottleneck.
David John: The real culprit here was the corruption of the CT DOT who had ignored multiple complaints of concrete falling from the bridge and the bridge shaking.
Tim LaForm: David John I remember hearing stories about that. There were multiple reports from the public as well as local and state authorities there, but nothing was ever done about it, until it collapsed, and then the highway department tried to play it off as if they never knew there was any issues or problems.
Nick Pedicini: A couple of years before, they had a similar collapse in upstate New York.
Kevin Greene: 1987 was after. Schoharie Creek Bridge

I can't tell if the 1992 bridge uses concrete or steel girders. I'm guessing pre-stressed concrete.
Street View, Jul 2024


Stateline Road Bridge over Kankakee River at Kankakee and Lake Counties

(no Bridge Hunter and I looked in both states; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

I can't believe that Bridge Hunter doesn't have an entry for this bridge.

Wyatt Glasscock, Aug 2022

David S, Jan 2024

It is pin connected.
Richard Reilly, Jun 2022

Jas, Aug 2022

This is even more obviously a pin connection.
Liveoutdoors85, Feb 2024

This was the post that taught me about this bridge. I thought the river level was rather high. But photos of the bridge, including the above, taught me that the river is always rather high under this bridge.
Facebook Reel

The river has a big flood plain, but it has been channelized in Indiana.
Satellite

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Enlarged Erie Canal Locks #36, #37, #38 & #39 at Little Falls, NY

#36: (Satellite) Barge Canal Lock #17 is just a few hundred feet upstream.
See map below for the location of these lost locks.
#37: (Satellite)
#38: (Satellite)
#39: (Satellite)


Lock #36. We see the control house of the Barge Canal Lock #17 in the right background.
Street View, Jun 2024

The Ted Wind Bridge carries NY-169 over the Barge Canal.
Dan, Jun 2024

Joel Torres posted, cropped
Is that a baby Bigfoot at Lock 36 in Little Falls 🤔🤣

The other three locks have been erased by the Barge Canal construction. Four Enlarged Canal Locks were needed to handle the 40' (12m) lift of Barge Canal Lock #17.

Little Falls NY Historical Society Museum posted via Dennis DeBruler
Red Arrow- is the location of Lock 36, Green Arrow is the location of Lock 37, Blue Arrow- is the location of Lock 38, and Yellow Arrow- is the location of Lock 39 | Orange marks the Enlarged Erie Canal of 1862.

Friday, March 6, 2026

Whitewater Canal Lock #19 and Butler Run Aqueduct in Brookville, IN

(Satellite, these are the GPS coordinates give in the video below.)

Whitewater Canal Overview

Satolli Glassmeyer posted
This  canal  aqueduct  near  Brookville,  Indiana  was  constructed  in  the  1830s.  You’ve  probably  seen  it  from  the  road  but  did  you  know  what  it  was  and  why  it  was  built?  The  story  is  in  the  comments  below. [It is a reference to the following video.]

Lock #19
24:20 video @ 15:14

We are looking at the left and right sides of the aqueduct over Butler Run. Someone removed the middle.
@ 20:02

This is a drone view of one side.
@ 20:49

And this is the other side. The canal was 40' wide. Then he flew the drone under the sides.
@ 21:27

And then a view from above.
@ 23:35

1915 Star City (1142) Bridge over Flat Creek in Barry County, MO, is to be removed

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

Joplin Outdoors posted
Star City Bridge - Barry County, Missouri 
This bridge is being removed soon.

Harry Stephens commented on the above post
Was just riding across it last week.
Joplin Outdoors: Harry Stephens that's a different bridge further downstream from Star City.
Harry Stephens: Joplin Outdoors your correct, just pulled up wrong pic. We hit jenkins, star city and this one. [Because of the flat upper chord, I think Harry's photo is of the 2080 Bridge.]

Patricia Miljan commented on the above post

Woody Francis commented on the above post

2008 photo by Gene McCluney via BridgeHunter

Joplin Outdoors posted

Woody Francis commented on the above post