Industrial History

Thursday, August 13, 2026

1921 US-66 Bridge over Pecos River near San Jose, NM

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

US-66 Overview

Street View, May 2014

Andrzej Trzmiel, Jul 2026

Don Lindsley posted
Route 66 bridge near San Jose, NM

2015 photo by Michael Shulman via BridgeHunter

The bridge was on the original route that dipped down through San Jose.

route66

Motivation

Lunda Construction Company posted six photos with the comment:

Sometimes a bridge is memorable for more than its appearance. Milwaukee's Sixth Street Viaduct is known for its striking twin cable-stayed spans, but it also marked an important milestone for Wisconsin. Before construction could even begin, special legislative approval was needed because the project became the state's first publicly funded road and bridge project to use the design-build delivery method.
The project replaced an aging viaduct with modern cable-stayed and bascule bridges while accelerating delivery, minimizing traffic disruptions, and demonstrating the value of a collaborative approach to complex transportation infrastructure.
More than two decades later, the bridge remains a recognizable part of Milwaukee's skyline. It's also a reminder that innovation in construction isn't always about new materials or equipment. Sometimes it's about finding better ways to deliver a project.

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

1898+1955 US-67 Bridges over Illinois River and 1943 Flood at Beardstown, IL

1898: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

1955: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; John A Weeks III; Satellite)

1898 Toll Bridge

BridgeHunter_1898

Aaron Briar posted

BridgeHunter_1898

Lisa Ruble posted

Beardstown Bridge and Illinois River

May 1943

Cass County

Norman Schafer shared

Sandy Lawber Ragan commented on Lisa's post
May 1943

Lisa Ruble answered Rory's question
The old bridge was where the Beardstown River Look is now. The bridge was built for wagons and was never meant to be used for vehicles. Looked scary!

Because of the flood wall, they are now prepared for the river to get a lot higher.

Street View, Aug 2023

1955 Bridge

John Weeks
"Beardstown was one of the earlier cities to be settled in Illinois. It was bigger than Chicago for several decades. The city was nicknamed Porkopolis due to the large pig yards and slaughterhouse operations. That trade shifted to Chicago when the railroad arrived in 1859. Beardstown was also a major hub of riverboat traffic, but that also diminished when passenger service was offered by the railroads."

John Weeks
"The Beardstown Bridge is one massive bridge, something that would only be expected on the lower Mississippi or other similarly large river. The main bridge is a through truss span about 1,365 feet long, with a 540 foot main span for navigation traffic. It rises nearly 70 feet above the water to the low steel line. To the north, there is a second through truss bridge about 710 feet long. A 1,000 foot long trestle crosses a backwater slough to the north, and a 500 foot steel deck truss bridge spans a creek on the south end. The overall river crossing is 2/3 of a mile."

HistoricBridges
"This bridge consists of a two span continuous truss and a three span continuous truss, making it a unique pair of truss styles."

Because of trees and the flood wall, this is the best street view that I could find.

Street View, Aug 2023

Sep 11, 1955 photo by Jacksonville Daily Journal via BridgeHunter_1955

Photo by Steve Conro via BridgeHunter_1955

More about the 1898 Bridge and 1943 Flood

Julie Chenoweth Terstiep commented on Lisa's post

Lisa commented on her post
The Beardstown Wagon Bridge was built in 1898.

Lisa commented on her post
1943

Lisa commented on her post

Lisa commented on her post
May 22nd 1943

Lisa commented on her post
May 26th 1943

Lisa commented on her post

Lisa commented on her post
1936

1981 The Tridge over Tittabawassee and Chippewa Rivers in Midland, MI

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Satellite, 2,305 photos)

"The Tridge opened in 1981. It consists of one 31-foot (9.4 m) tall central pillar supporting three spokes. Each spoke is 180 feet long by 8 feet wide." [CityOfMidlandMI]

Street View, Aug 2015

Bridges Now and Then posted

"The Tridge is the formal name of a three-way wooden footbridge spanning the confluence of the Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers in Chippewassee Park near downtown Midland, Michigan,"

~Wiki

"Tridge Sine Waves reflections off water", April 21, 2007. (Phil Squattrito)

April Kleindl, May 2023

DowntownMidland

kuriositas, 1 of several photos of the bridge

Dave Roddy comment via Dennis DeBruler

1891 Bell Road Bridge over Huron River near Dover, MI

Original Location: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Planned Location: (Satellite)

TheSunTimesNews, Photo courtesy of the National Register of Historic Places, Michigan State Historic Preservation Office/National Park Service

Because the fieldstone abutments were failing, the truss was moved onto land. It has since been put into storage by the county.

2016 photo by Rick McOmber via BridgeHunter

The county plans to use it as a bridge for a new trail.

TheSunTimesNews
"This conceptual rendering shows the planned reconstruction of the historic 1891 Bell Road Bridge as part of the B2B’s Dexter Connection. Once rebuilt, the restored iron truss bridge will carry pedestrians and cyclists across Mill Creek, linking the trail to Mill Creek Park and downtown Dexter. Courtesy of Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission."

HistoricBridges explains that Michigan has lost a lot of truss bridges because the fieldstone abutments failed. This bridge was a case in point.