Tioga Bridge Revival

After years in the making, the restoration of the stunning Tioga Bridge in Northwest Indiana is complete.

Erected in 1890 by the iconic Wrought Iron Bridge Company,this majestic 2-span Whipple Truss stretches over 450 feet across the Tippecanoe River near Monticello. Also known as the Paper Mill Bridge, the bridge was designed by engineer Craven Smith. It sports some very impressive portal decorations including cresting and finials that have been painstakingly replicated in the reconstruction. It also features unique ribbon lacing of the eyebars that make up the lower chords, a trait that is only found in a handful of bridges remaining today. I was surprised by the lack of sway bracing between the trusses of such a tall bridge, but apparently Mr. Smith felt that the massive portal bracing would be adequate to keep everything aligned properly. Over 120 years have passed since it was erected and so far he seems to have been right.

The bridge has been a local landmark of the area for a long time, having been featured on post cards as early as the 1920's. The bridge is also noted for sitting very low to the water, an attribute that likely comes from the building of the Oakdale Dam in 1925 which led to the creation of Lake Freeman and Lake Shafer. There was talk of raising the bridge up several feet, but at this point I'm not sure if that was included in the restoration or not. Having been this height for some 85 years doesn't seem to have caused any problems.

Hopefully this restoration will promote more visits from tourists in this very popular region of the state. The bridge no longer carries motorized traffic, but should see plenty of pedestrian use in the coming years.

Photo taken by Tom Hall. This and many other can be seen on Bridgehunter

http://bridgehunter.com/in/carroll/tioga-road/

Options For Reusing Abandoned Spans

In my many years of traveling Indiana's highways and byways, I have documented bridges in all kinds of places. Some reside in major cities like Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. Others are nestled in scenic rural settings that beckon to be seen. And, unfortunately, there is a sizable list of historic spans that have been all but forgotten in the overgrowth. These unique structures are a hidden resource that deserve to be explored for possible reuse.

Dr. Jim Cooper and myself have been compiling a list of these bridges with the hope that many will eventually find new life in one way or another. Each has it's own unique character, and likely a very interesting story to go with it. When I research one of these spans, I try to encompass the possibilities that may exist within them. Many pony trusses and some of the smaller through trusses are candidates to be moved to parks and trails. While I always like to see a bridge retained in it's original setting, I acknowledge that this isn't always possible. A park or other public place offers the bridge a chance to be rehabilitated and made accessible for people to see and enjoy. In some cases, like the Portersville and Rothrock Mill Bridges, even a much larger structure can be dismantled and moved to a new location. This is a great way to promote a piece of history, but the cost involved keeps it limited to a small number of cases. Recent efforts to reuse iron bridges in Cass and Jefferson Counties have been cancelled due to budget constraints.

A few weeks ago I had the chance to visit the Hendricks Ford Bridge in Bartholomew County. This impressively large iron bridge dates from about 1880 and is credited to the renowned King Bridge Company. It's two spans gracefully cross the Driftwood River in a very scenic spot. I'm not sure when this landmark last saw any traffic, but considering the road leading to it from the East has been reduced to a mere dirt path... I would simply say it was long ago. But this is the only way to currently access the bridge because it is still considered government property as a part of Camp Atterbury. Two other iron through trusses reside in the public accessible Atterbury Fish & Wildlife area to the North of here. One of these, the Furnas Mill Bridge, has even been recently restored by the state and is open once again for traffic. But the Hendrickson span sits idle and waits for it's turn. The structure is still very solid on it's massive stone substructure, but is slowly being overgrown on the West side with a dead tree leaning precariously on it's frame.

What are the options in a situation like this? Moving a bridge of this size is doable, but only as a last resort. It doesn't appear that the National Guard base has any use for it, or desire to use it for that matter. So why couldn't it, along with a small piece of land on the West side, be deeded over to local government or a private organization that could develop it into something special? The trail back to it could be widened and improved to allow for pedestrian traffic. There is also an equestrian camp nearby which would probably enjoy having the bridge accessible. The view from the bridge is likely an impressive one, although I didn't cross the "No Tresspassing" sign to find out... But boy would I sure like to!

Public awareness is the key to making this happen. And although funds for this type of project have dwindled the past few years, they are still available. It just takes people with the interest and desire to make it happen. 

Portersville Bridge Starts A Second Life

After gracefully spanning the East Fork of the White River for 95 years, The Portersville Bridge has recently been renovated and turned into a pedestrian bridge over Fourteen Mile Creek in Clark County.

Originally built in 1912 by the Vincennes Bridge Company of Vincennes, Indiana, the 360 foot long structure towered over the mighty White on the Dubois & Daviess County line until the two counties decided a new bridge was needed. The two spans were carefully dismantled in 2008 by CLR Construction and moved to Charlestown State Park for reuse.

At it's new home the bridge sports a shiny new black paint job and has had it's truss members carefully restored. The bridge now also carries the name Rose Island Bridge as it will be used to connect the park to the long abandoned isle. Rose Island once featured a resort as well as a rollercoaster and was a prominent area attraction until a flood destroyed much of it in the 1930's.

Hopefully the Portersville/Rose Island Bridge is now ready for another 95 or more years of life.

Photo taken by Jonathan Parrish

Dunbar Covered Bridge Damaged

It would seem there is an epidemic this year of over-sized trucks attempting to cross historic covered bridges.

For the second time in the past few weeks, a West-central Indiana covered bridge has been damaged by a tractor-trailer that had no business even attempting to cross it. This time it was Putnam County's Dunbar Bridge that was involved in the mishap. Fortunately, it appears that damage was limited to the portals and should be easily repaired. In this case, the driver actually called to inform authorities as to what had happened. The firm that he drives for has already alerted it's insurance company and that damages should be covered. The bridge remains open at this time.

This comes on the heels of not one, but two overweight trucks attempting to cross Parke County's Jackson Covered Bridge. The first truck became stuck inside and damaged most of the overhead lateral braces. A couple weeks after that another semi crossed the bridge and broke the remaining braces that had escaped damage the first time. This driver didn't stop but was later arrested in Rockville. Here again, hopefully insurance will be available to cover the repairs. And hopefully all 3 drivers will be disciplined for their lack of judgement.

Here is the story with a photo from the Greencastle Banner Graphic:

http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1750758.html

Amazingly, a comment posted in response to this article states that the same thing happened a few weeks back at the Dick Huffman Covered Bridge in Southern Putnam County!

Cedar Grove Bridge Safe........For Now

A decision this week by the Indiana Department of Historic Preservation and Archaeology gave a glimmer of hope to the abandoned Cedar Grove steel truss bridge in Franklin County. INDOT owns this span and has requested a certification from the DHPA to demolish it. The bridge has been closed since 1999 and officials are concerned about rusted beams falling on people canoeing on the Whitewater River below. The 2-span Camelback truss bridge was built in 1914 and is an impressive site as it towers over the river valley. The review board has tabled any decisions on the matter for at least 6 months.

So while this "Stay of execution" is a good thing.....now comes the daunting task of finding a group to assume ownership of the bridge from the state. There has been some talk of a Whitewater Valley Trail in the county, so extending the trail to (and through) the bridge could be one possibility. Liability issues seem to be the biggest obstacle  for any takers. Although it wouldn't cost as much to prepare the bridge for pedestrian use, it would need a new floor system and a new paint job. Some lower bracing rods that have broken and are hanging down give the bridge a much worse appearance than it deserves, as it is still a very steady structure. With some repairs and lighting this bridge could be a real centerpiece for the town of Cedar Grove.

Hopefully, better days will be ahead for this majestic span!

New Home Needed

Of the many historic truss bridges that are sitting abandoned in Indiana, few are as impressive as the Vera Cruz Bridge in Wells County. Standing proudly on a bypassed segment of State Road 301, this 1887 Whipple truss iron bridge deserves a better fate. Although still very solid to walk across, the trees are taking over the bridge and I'm afraid without intervention they will be the demise of this landmark. The bridge is listed on the INDOT Historic Bridge Marketing site as available, but I'm not sure if it's still owned by the state or is now county property.

There are several covered and metal bridges owned and maintained by the state on DNR properties. Currently, the finishing touches are being placed on the relocated Portersville Bridge that is now a part of Charlestown State Park in Southeastern Indiana. That being said, the nearby Quabache State Park would be a perfect home for the Vera Cruz Bridge. There it could stay over the iconic Wabash River just upstream from it's current location, and be enjoyed by the many visitors to the park.

Let's just hope the right people see this Blog!

Wells Street Bridge The Center of Community Activities

I visited Fort Wayne this past Sunday and was delighted to see the beautiful Wells Street Bridge hosting activities for the Three Rivers Festival. The Victorian embellished 1884 Whipple Truss span was abuzz with people enjoying the nice weather. The city is fortunate to have retained this rare example of a cast and wrought iron span that once used to exist in many cities across the state. The bridge will play host to another event in August.