Abandoned/NYC Swing Bridge over Little River in North Tonawanda, NY

(no Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Jul 2023

This was the original bridge to Tonawanda Island, which used to have a lot of industry. The NYC bridge had wood planks laid on it so that it could also be used as a one-lane vehicle bridge.

1950/50 Tonawanda West and East Quads @ 24,000 via Dennis DeBruler

ArchivedRailroad
MarcMeoff: This is the bridge over the "Little River" in the 1970s. This was also a popular hang-out/swimming place for my brothers and I in the '50s. The international Paper mill along with RT Jones lumber was in full swing on Tonawanda Island in those days and the train used to go over to switch them at least twice a day. There was a bridge tender in attendence full time, but I only ever saw the bridge open once. A tug tried to push a barge through, but the current was so strong that he couldn't make it. Almost took out the bridge in the process of trying to go up-stream.

Another story about the strong current of Little River:

"An individual I worked with had the unfortunate luck to run his cabin cruiser under bridge B18-C thereby ripping the upper deck clean off. There is quite a current there. He was forever after known as the “ADMIRAL”." [NYCRRson on ArchivedRailroad]

Abandoned/NYC Swing Bridge over Tonawanda Creek (Eric Canal) at Tonawanda, NY

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

This is the first time I have seen trees on a bridge!

Street View, Oct 2020

John Kucko Digital posted

The Erie Canal at 200 (#36):  Continuing my weekly series here on the page commemorating the bicentennial of the iconic Erie Canal.  A VERY cool spot along the Erie Canal is located near Buffalo between Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, NY right near the mouth of the canal.  The old New York Central Railroad swing bridge is located in the middle of the historic waterway.  It was built in 1892 and remain in use until the late 1960’s.  This was used by trains back in the day as they crossed the canal here.  The bridge provided a clear path for boats and barges to pass, and the bridge would then swing back into place, allowing trains to cross. Swing bridges were important  infrastructure for both railway and canal traffic to coexist, with the canal requiring uninterrupted navigation and the railroad requiring a stable, crossing path.  I captured the Russian wooden vessel, circumnavigating the world, passing by the bridge five years ago there.  

    In June of 2023, a state grant of $136,000 was awarded, part of revitalization funding, for a scenic overlook in this area. Folks using the popular canal path to hike and bike will have a nice area to view the swing bridge and learn of its history.  This is a neat little spot along our historic Erie Canal.

Bill Redemske: When I was a kid,I remember that bridge enabled rail service to a large Continental Can Co. factory,at what was once called Goose Island,long backfilled to the main land when the Erie Canal was truncated at the Niagara River years ago......one of the navigational marker lights from the pier of that bridge is now at the railroad museum in North Tonawanda....

Mike Hoodmaker commented on John's post
John here’s an up close picture of that bridge. We keep our boat at a marina nearby.

Jeff Morgan commented on John's post, cropped
Here's a view when RR trains still used it.

2016 Photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via BridgeHunter

2016 Photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via BridgeHunter

There are a lot of detail photos of the bridge on BridgeHunter.

This topo map shows the original Erie Canal that created Goose Island.  The bottom part of today's Niagara Shore Drive was built on the canal's right-of-way. This bridge was on an industrial spur to serve Continental Can and some other industries that were on Goose Island. Those industries lasted until the 1960s. I suspect that there was a diversion dam on the Tonawanda Creek under the bridge that was just downstream of Ellicott Creek. The Erie Canal used the Tonawanda Creek until it got to that dam. So, the bridge was not over the Erie Canal back then. Was the canal from Ellicott Creek west to the main canal a branch that allowed more industries to be built along a canal?

1901/09 Tonawanda Quad @ 62,500

By 1950, the original Erie Canal channel had been filled in, and the canal used the Niagara River to get to Buffalo. Also, NYC built a connector from its route coming from the south to its route coming from the east so that they could share the Strauss Trunnion Bridge that still exists.

1950/50 Tonawanda West and East Quads @ 24,000

1887+1899+1914+1971+2023 Gaysport Bridge over Muskingum river at Gaysport, OH

1887: (Archived Bridge Hunter)

1889: (Archived Bridge Hunter)

1914: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1971: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

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."

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.

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]

Muskingum County History posted
The Muskingum River bridge at Gaysport which stood from 1914-1971.

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

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.

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.

Photo by Janis Ford via BridgeHunter_1971

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.

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]

Street View, Aug 2023

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.

1911,1959 "I" Street+SP Bridge over Sacramento River in Sacramento, CA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

The lower deck carries the UP/Southern Pacific tracks. Because of that, this bridge will be preserved when a new vehicle bridge is built. The upper deck will become a trail bridge. [ArchivedBridgeHunter]

This 854' (260m) long bridge has a main span of 195' (60m). [HistoricBridges]

Boat  View, Mar 2021

Trail View, May 2016

Street View, Jan 2025

Photo taken during 2019 Bridge Lantern Festival by City of West Sacramento via BridgeHunter

2010 Photo by Craig Philpott via BridgeHunter

Bridges Now and Then posted
Sacramento, California's, I Street Bridge, built 1911-12. (Sacramento Heritage, Inc.)

Steve Jackson: Plenty of bridges cross county lines. This is the only one I can think of that I've seen that straddles a boundary.

Lost Stone Bridges over Sakonnet River at Tiverton, RI

Old: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1907: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

BridgeHunter_Old

The swing span was a pony truss with a superstructure added.

BridgeHunter_Old

BridgeHunter_Old

1907 Bridge

"Built 1907; Damaged by Hurricane Carol 1954; Closed 1955; Replaced 1956" [BridgeHunter_1907]

The movable spans on this bridge are worthy of the "bridgeRare" label. The travellers on top of the rails are connected to the end of the spans so that when the travellers go down the rails they pull the spans up.

BridgeHunter_1907

BridgeHunter_1907

Here is a good view of the rails on top of the framework.

BridgeHunter_1907

In this view of the raised spans, the traveller is at the other end of the rails.

BridgeHunter_1907

Another view of the raised position.

BridgeHunter_1907

And here is a view of the traveller part way down.

BridgeHunter_1907

Bridges Now and Then posted
The Stone Bridge, Tiverton-Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 1951. (Providence, Journal)

Zack Lewis: That's the Tiverton side of the bridge, because that's the Doughboy Statue in the foreground

Street View, Oct 2019

Providence, RI: Lost/Red Bridge (Manual Swing Bridge)

(Satellite)

Bridges Now and Then posted
"Workers turn massive key on Red Bridge, 1959", Providence, Rhode Island. Manually opening the swing bridge took a lot of grunt. (The Providence Journal)

Tim Berry commented on the above post
Not that long ago between Haverhill and West Newbury, Ma. The Rocks Village Bridge over the Merrimack River. Six spans including the manual swing. The oldest span dates to 1883. My photo.

CSX/L&N Bridge over Apalachicola River near Chattahoochee

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

Andrew Waldo posted three photos with the comment:

Apalachicola River, Florida: Bridge No. 154 over the Apalachicola River, Louisville & Nashville Railroad. This impressive set of bridge types crossing the Apalachicola River, known collectively as L&N’s Bridge No. 154, included Pile Trestle approaches, a 275’ Thru Draw Span, 2 Pony Truss Spans at 115’ 9” each, and a Thru Truss Span at 154’ 5”. Although the Bridge Tender’s House was not photographed, the Pile Trestles supporting its platform are pictured here. When these photographs were taken on 20 February 1917, Bridge No. 154 included sections built/rebuilt in 1882, 1886, 1894, 1908, 1909, 1913, and 1917.

Credit: National Archives & Records Administration, ICC Engineering Field Notes, Louisville & Nashville Railroad, Florida. Digital Image Collection of Andrew Waldo.

All photos and Documents from these records were hand-scanned at the Archives from the originals by, and are in the Digital Image Collection of, Andrew Waldo. For high-resolution scans in archival .tif format, PM me.

Bill Husband: Located near Blountstown, Florida (from Explore Rail History research)

1

2

3

Dennis DeBruler commented on Bill's comment
It looks like it is a lot closer to Chattahoochee, https://maps.app.goo.gl/g9oFNGuB2P6oesP49. 1954/67 Tallahassee topo map with a scale of 250,000.

Bill Husband: Dennis DeBruler I asked Google.Gemini (AI) what was closest!

2011 photo by Ben Tate via BridgeHunter

Christa Berit, May 2025

US-77 1896,1937+1981,83 Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge over Missouri River at Sioux City, IA

1896: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; HAER)

1981: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; John Weeks III; Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2023

John Weeks
This 1,502' (458m) long bridge has a main span of 425' (130m).
The navigation channel is 400' (122m) by 80' (24.4m).
"An inspection in early May, 1982, found a fracture across the full width of the downstream horizontal tie girder. The fracture was heavily corroded, suggesting that the fracture happened just after the bridge was opened. Further investigation revealed that the strength of the steel varied considerably, with some of the steel not meeting minimum strength specifications. The bridge was closed on May 6, 1982. It remained totally closed for 7 months, with 2 lanes reopening on December 9, 1982. The repairs were completed and the bridge was fully reopened on May 9, 1983."
[When I had seen the rehabilitation date of 1983, I wonder what went wrong in less than two years. Now I wonder which country provided the steel.]
"Highway US-77 once ran north and south from border to border. The northern section of the road became redundant when Interstate I-29 was completed. As a result, US-77 was truncated at the interchange located at the north end of the Siouxland bridge."

Street View, Jun 2024

Sujit Ingle, Apr 2023

The 1896 bridge was built with two swing spans because steamboats are what made this town. It was called the Combination Bridge because it originally carried both railroad and vehicular traffic.

HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--2, cropped
2. General View of the Bridge from Prospect Hill, looking SE. - Pacific Shortline Bridge, U.S. Route 20,spanning Missouri River, Sioux City, Woodbury County, IA

HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--1, cropped
1. General View of the Bridge from the South Shore, looking WNW.

A good view of the surviving swing span.

HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--8
8. 3/4 View of Bridge from South Shore, looking NNE.

"The Pacific Short Line Combination Bridge was the work of three prominent names in the late 19th century American engineering: J.A.L. Waddell (chief engineer), Charles Sooysmith's Sooysmith & Company.(foundations and piers), and the Phoenix Iron and Bridge companies (fabricators and erectors). The dates of the Pacific Short Line Bridge (1890-1896) make it among the early largescale works of both Waddell and Sooysmith. It is also one of Waddell.'s and Phoenix's earliest efforts in steel bridge design and construction, at a time when the use of steel was still not universally accepted, particularly for spans of the size of the Pacific Short Line bridge. As constructed, the bridge consisted of two 470' [143m] rimbearing through Pratt swing spans and two 500' [152m] Pennsylvania through trusses. All spans were pin-connected. The bridge was built at least partially as Sioux City's response to changing developments in Upper Missouri transportation systems, as westward running railroads supplanted steamboats, which were instrumental in the city's early growth, as the principal carriers of people, goods and raw materials during the 1880's." [HAER_data]

2009 photo by Jack Schmidt via BridgeHunter

safe_image for The Bridges of Sioux City, Iowa, Photo by Jack Schmidt
The second bridgehunting tour takes us to Sioux City, Iowa. In 2022, a museum curator did a presentation on the city's bridges, dating back to the first crossing in 1865. That presentation is now available for viewing. Enjoy the tour: 

This is that presentation:

51:11 video

"The Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge, from Sioux City, Nebraska, to Sioux City, Iowa, was opened to traffic in January 1981. In May 1982 Iowa Department of Transportation personnel discovered a fracture across the full width of the top flange on the down stream tie girder. The investigation into the cause of the fracture included chemical and physical testing and fractographic and metallographic examinations. Results of the latter examinations showed that the fracture originated at a gas-flame-cut edge of the 2 3/4-in.-thick A588 flange plate. It arrested at least once at a depth of 0.37 in. and possibly earlier at a depth of about 0.05 in. before propagating in a brittle mode across the flange. The fracture surface was heavily corroded, indicating that the fracture had occurred long before its discovery. The physical tests indicated that the plate in which the fracture occurred did not meet the specified toughness requirements. Additional tests on samples of material extracted from other parts of the girders revealed highly variable toughness properties, some of which did not meet the requirements of the specifications either." [pubsindex]

"Steel for the bridge was provided by two suppliers, one who furnished most of the flange plates, and the other who furnished the remainder of the flange plates and all of the web plates....A number of locations were found where the toughness did not meet the specified requirement. Locations where 21 /2-in.-thick plates did not meet the requirement were also found. At this point in the investigation, an offer was made to IDOT by the supplier of the fractured plate to replace all flange plates that had been furnished by the supplier. This offer was accepted. Work to replace these flange plates was completed in spring 1983." To replace the flanges, they had to remove the dead load off of the tie girders. To do this, they built falsework and then jacked up the superstructure. The bridge was opened to limited traffic while the flanges were being replaced. [onlinepubs]