1889: (Archived Bridge Hunter)
1914: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)
1887 Bridge
This bridge had three covered bridge spans and one pony truss swing span. The covered spans were destroyed by a storm within a couple of years of completion. [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1887]
1889 Bridge
"Built 1889 by Smith Bridge Co.; destroyed in 1913 flood" [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889]
This source disagrees with ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889 concerning the completion date. This source says it was built a decade later. I'm assuming 1899 was a typo. In fact, the Facebook parent post states: "The first bridge was a covered structure erected in 1887 which only lasted for about one year." But they also say: "In 1899 a steel bridge was built which lasted until the 1913 Flood."
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| Muskingum County History posted via ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889 The Pratt through truss bridge over the Muskingum River at Gaysport which stood from 1899-1913 as it appeared in 1908. The bridge was lengthened in 1904 due to a widening of the river channel. That might explain the pony truss section in the foreground (but we are always open to suggestions). |
1914 Bridge
This source also indicates that the bridge was replaced a decade after the covered bridge was destroyed. So I changed the title from 1889 to 1899, but I kept 1889 in the Bridge Hunter references.
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| 1971 Photo by The Times Recorder via BridgeHunter_1914 |
"It appears that the simple Pratt through and pony spans from the 1889 structure survived the 1913 flood and were reused for the 1914 bridge." [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1914]
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| Muskingum County History posted The Muskingum River bridge at Gaysport which stood from 1914-1971. |
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| Muskingum County History posted A wide view of the Muskingum River bridge at Gaysport. The photo is undated but is likely from 1970 or 1971. The span on the far left looks like a swing span, something we hadn't realized until viewing this photo. |
1971 Bridge
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| Jeff Shroyer posted Gaysport, OH over the Muskingum River on what were piers of a prior bridge. Jeff Shryer shared Muskingum Co OH: 4 span bridge at Gaysport, OH. This pony truss was built in 1970 and sits on river piers built for a nineteenth century covered bridge. The bridge has since been replaced. |
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| Muskingum County History posted The current [posted Sep 25, 2020] Warren polygonal chord pony truss bridge over the Muskingum River at Gaysport as it appeared in November 1971. |
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| Photo by Janis Ford via BridgeHunter_1971 |
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| 2020 Photo by Jeff Shroyer via BridgeHunter_1971 |
2024 Bridge
It looks like they retained the 1887 piers, but they reinforced the bases. And it looks like a steel-girder bridge.
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| Street View, Apr 2025 |
It officially opened in the first month of 2024, 11 months ahead of schedule. It cost $7.25m. The 1971 bridge was made of weathering steel. That is why it lasted only 50 years. The 2024 bridge is made with galvanized steel and is expected to last 75-80 years. [whiznews]
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| Street View, Aug 2023 |
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| galvanizeit It actually opened in Nov 2023. The sandstone piers were reused because federal funding required it. [This webpage provides a nice summary.] "The Gaysport Bridge in southern Muskingum County has had four bridges at this location: the first bridge was a wooden covered structure erected in 1887 which lasted one year. The second bridge was a steel bridge which was built in 1899 and lasted until the 1913 flood. The third bridge which spanned the river from 1914 to 1971 was a through truss bridge. The fourth bridge was a steel bridge built in 1971 and lasted until 2021, the last number of years it was reduced to a one-lane bridge. The fifth bridge was just built and opened in November of this year [2023]." |
mtboats has several photos of the bridges.
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