1825-80 US-80 Rooster Bridge over Tombigbee River and 1979 Towboat Incident near Demopolis, AL

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

snopes

The Tombigbee was at a record high river level, so the procedure was to approach the bridge on the slack side, untie the tow and let it pass under the bridge. Then backup the towboat and go under the lift span on the other side of the river, chase down the tow and reattach. When the M/V Cahaba backed up, it did not stay square with the current, and the current twisted the towboat up against the bridge and shoved it under the bridge. The second description in snopes explains Captain Jimmie Wilkerson's "ride" under the bridge. One diesel kept running, and some comments indicated that they were able to finish their delivery. The following photos are screenshots from this video. The video has been used in training meetings to demonstrate the importance of keeping the water-tight doors closed.

James Morgan posted 15 photos with the comment: "I imagine most of you have seen this but for those who haven't -"

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1859 UP/T&P Morely Bridge over Port Allen Canal near Baton Rouge, LA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

T&P = Texas & Pacific

This bridge is the first bridge downstream from the Port Allen Lock.

2016 Photo by C Hanchey via BridgeHunter

MorleyMarina
The bridge was bult in 1959 as part of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, "a 1,050 mile inland channel running from Carrabelle, Florida to Brownsville, Texas."

MorleyMarina
"On Sunday, September 16, 1973, however, something went horribly wrong.
"As engineer Gerald Morrow raced his 100-car Texas and Pacific train from New Orleans to Shreveport, all signs indicated that the Morley Bridge was in the proper position for his crossing. What he didn’t know is that a power failure had hit the bridge while it was in raised position, and the bridge tender was unable to start a gasoline backup engine that would enable him to lower the bridge allowing safe train passage. Neither Morrow or the bridge tender knew that the automatic derailer located about two miles from the bridge, which is supposed to automatically derail any oncoming trains when the bridge is raised, was not working.
"When engineer Morrow and his brakeman, William E. Smith approached the bridge at full speed late that Sunday night, they saw that the bridge was in raised position and applied the train’s emergency brakes, but, by then, it was too late. The two engines and 16 cars plunged into the Intracoastal canal. Morrow and Smith, who were both in the lead engine, were buried beneath the other cars in 30-35 feet of water. Fortunately, none of the train cars contained chemicals or other dangerous cargo."
[In addition to the gas engine and derail failure, the railroad's signalling sysem had a big failure. It should have been fail safe and not provided a green signal if the lift span was not properly locked in the down position.]

D&S Marine Service posted 1:29 video
M/V Darian Alexandra passing through the Morely Railroad Bridge.

...

1973 100mw Ozark-Jeta Taylor Lock and Dam on Arkansas River near Ozark, AR

(Satellite)

Street View, Feb 2024

"The Ozark-Jetta Taylor Lock and Dam is approximately 2,500 feet (762 m) long, 42 feet (13 m) high and has a structural volume of 120,000 cubic yards (91,747 cubic metres). The reservoir has a normal storage capacity of 129,000 acre-ft (159,119 Ml) and maximum capacity of 148,400 acre-ft (183,048 Ml). The dam has a 750 feet (229 m) wide controlled spillway with a maximum discharge capacity of 570000 cubic feet per second (16141 cubic metres per second)." [DamsOfTheWorld]

USACE_photo, Tomas Rofkahr
"Headed down the Arkansas, a barge locks through at the Ozark-Jetta Taylor Lock and Dam. Located at mile 308 of the river, the Ozark lock and dam is just one unit of the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) that originates at the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Running southeast through Oklahoma and Arkansas to the Mississippi River, the MKARNS ensures a 9-foot navigable channel for commercial barge traffic. The MKARNS is a 'high-use' waterway system that routinely sees more than 10 million tons of traffic a year."
[I wonder why the towboat is pushing on a side barge instead of the center barge.]

The photo above shows that the locks have the standard width of 110', but it must be longer than 600' to take 9 barges and a towboat. I include the scale in this satellite image because it implies the lock is 800' long.

Satellite

dvids
"Ozark Lake covers 10,600 acres of water area at Mean Sea Level (MSL) elevation 372.0 feet. A land area of 6,349 acres surrounds the lake and extends around the shoreline for a distance of 173 miles."

The power plant was built with five 20mw slant-axis turbines. A slant-axis turbine is a recent design that "allows more generation to be packed into a smaller area." But they have proven to be a maintenance nightmare. Rehab work started in 2005 and several problems were encountered which stretched out the rehab work to 2021. One of the problems was construction---the 26' (8m) water passages were not "centered."  "The solution, in this case, was to develop a massive reverse lathe/boring bar to go through the slow and exacting work of scraping out and milling the water passage. It was a huge task – and one that they found themselves having to do five more times." [issuu, unfortunately, the links for the three photos are broken.]

May 2025 Flood

Note the hydraulic jump.

Facebook Reel

1951,1981,2015 Mansfield Bridge over Monongahela River at McKeesport and Dravosburg, PA

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

This 1,934' (589.5m) long bridge has a main span of 500' (152.4m). [HistoricBridges]

The clearance is 65.3' (20m). [pghbridges]

Street View, Aug 2021

Boat View, Feb 2021

Plan via HistoricBridges
"Reportedly, this bridge was under construction by 1948 and was made from steel specifically sourced from the melted scrap of the Wabash Bridge."

HistoricPittsburgh
Aerial view of the William D. Mansfield Memorial Bridge

This bridge was built in 1889. [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889]

McKeesport Past posted
The last span of the old Dravosburg Bridge came down in December 1951

There was a bridge even older than the 1951 bridge.

Jackson-Township historical preservation posted

Old Dravosburg Bridge between the community of Dravosburg and the City of McKeesport, Allegheny County on December 14, 1948.

(Photo from https://www.facebook.com/elizabethborough/)

George W. Gula: The actual bridge over the Monongahela River is behind the photographer. The trestle belongs to Pittsburgh Railways and rises up to bring cars to their right of way going beyond Dravosburg.

Robert M. Milko: it is Dravosburg you are looking at.

McKeesport Past posted
The old Dravosburg Bridge heading towards McKeesport.  Circa 1949

Jacob H. Ford Photography posted

Here's a shot I took last weekend, of a towboat, the Megan Ames traveling up the river, from near the old "Paule's Lookout" location, looking out over the valley. I shared a similar image from this same location last week, of just this towboat in a tighter frame traveling under the Mansfield Bridge, but this shot also includes U.S. Steel Irvin Works in West Mifflin, farther up the valley on the other side of Dravosburg. This shot has the perfect mix of industry, nature, and everything that the Mon Valley is known for, all in one frame. Enjoy!

Photo taken: March 15, 2025

📸: Jacob H. Ford Photography— in West Mifflin, PA.

 

Jacob H. Ford Photography posted

Here's a shot I took yesterday mid-morning in West Mifflin, from a stretch of the Mon Valley I hadn't captured in a little while, from one of my favorite locations in the valley near the old "Paule's Lookout" location near a parking lot along Skyline Drive in West Mifflin. This is a unique vantage point in the Mon Valley, because of how many different subjects you can see from here; including U.S. Steel Irvin Works on the right atop the valley-side framed in the tree branch, the Mansfield Bridge spanning across the Monongahela River in the middle of the frame, with Glassport and McKeesport on the left side of the bridge, and West Mifflin and Dravosburg on the other side of the river. In the top left of the frame, you can also see some unearthed soil from the construction from the new stretch of Route 43 that’s being built as well. 

I was fortunate enough to capture a towboat pushing a four barges down the river, while another towboat was traveling up the river as they passed each other under the Mansfield Bridge. The mid-morning lighting was perfect and created a vibrant composition, while the branches and leaves in the foreground allowed me do some creative framing in this scene. I have quite a few more images to share from my time in West Mifflin yesterday at this location, along with another unique location and subject in the Mon Valley that I have never captured before and actually took a tour of, so stay tuned for those a little later. Enjoy!

Photo taken: August 2, 2025

📸: Jacob H. Ford Photography— in West Mifflin, PA.

Jacob H. Ford Photography shared

HistoricPittsburgh
Construction of the Dravosburg Bridge

Replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge over Patapsco River at Baltimore, MD

I'm seeing enough information about replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was destroyed on Mar 26, 2024 that it is time to starts some notes about the replacement because I anticipate a lot of design and construction information.

Casey Jones Nov 23, 2024, video of 22:04: Why the Replacement Key Bridge Needs to be Antifragile! [The video includes a book review. He also talks about the new design for this bridge at 12:30]

Maryland via TruckDriverNews via Facebook
[I just skimmed the text because I was after a rendition of the design. For all of the talk about the economic impact of the destroyed bridge, one would think someone would have funded some better dolphins for the old bridge. I could not find an estimated completion date.]
Kiewit Corporation posted

In partnership with the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), we've unveiled the design for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild. 

This new bridge will be Maryland’s first cable-stayed bridge, set to modernize Baltimore's skyline. It will have a main span of 1,665 feet and an overall length of two miles. 

For more information on the new design: https://bit.ly/4hKoV63

Casey Jones found a better rendition of the preliminary design. The silver lining of destroying the old bridge is that the deck of the new bridge will be higher. This is important because the size of container ships keep growing. He also found an estimated completion date of 2028.

6:34 video @ 0:45

In fact, the height is increasing from 185' to 230'.

@ 1:08

The Practical Engineer (Grady Hillhouse) just posted a couple of days agon (Feb 14, 2025) an explanation as to why most new long-span bridges are cable-stayed bridges. It occurred to me that it is appropriate to include here.

20:18 video @ 12:06

Casey's Jul 14, 2025, update:

13:46 video

Key Bridge Rebuild posted three photos with the comment:

Baltimore here we come!

Six test piles have been loaded on a barge and are now en route. The large steel cylinder piles will be driven into the Patapsco riverbed for the test pile program.  Some of these piles will be evaluated for the potential to be incorporated into the permanent foundations for the new bridge.

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Sep 30, 2025:

WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore posted
Video from SkyTeam 11 shows the first pylon ready for installation at the site of the Key Bridge; https://www.wbaltv.com/article/key-bridge-site-video-pylon-ready-installation/68139613

Comments on above post

Oct 14, 2025:

Mike Sorrelle posted
View from plane flying over Baltimore, showing the Key bridge with the missing middle section.

John Mapguy: what is that pinkish area on the right hand shore [or left bank?]

Mike Sorrelle: John Mapguy Dredge material containment

[They just recently started the Test Pile program.]

Key Bridge Rebuild posted four photos with the comment: "Bridging the Facts: Learn more about the flotilla."

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Key Bridge Rebuild posted

Key Bridge REIMAGINED: Maryland’s first cable-stayed bridge will deliver:  

Massive pier protection: Main pylon fenders larger than a football field and a vessel-protection system supported by 276 concrete-filled steel piles, each 8-foot wide.  

A new, modern Key Bridge is on the way! 

Key Bridge Rebuild posted four photos with the comment:

We’ve completed driving all test piles at Pier 24 and Pier 25! These are the main span piers, critical for supporting the central portion of the bridge. Next, the static load testing will begin.  

The team placed the load frame on the piles and are preparing to simulate the forces the bridge will experience once constructed. This test helps verify that the foundation design can handle real-world loading conditions and deliver long-term safety and performance.  

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William Ater Jr. commented on a post:

Cost estimates of the replacement span have gone up.

Originally thought to cost around $1.9B USD, it’s now estimated to be somewhere between $4.3 & $5.2B USD.

Also, the new bridge’s original goal of being completed by 2028 has been pushed back to late 2030.

12:45 video @ 3:13
Kiewit will be out of Key Bridge Replacement Project