Lake Champlain Bridge Demolished

The 80-year-old Lake Champlain Bridge (also known as the Crown Point Bridge) was demolished today. The bridge connected Crown Point, NY and Chimney Point, VT. According to Wikipedia, the bridge was one of only two bridges crossing Lake Champlain. It was one of the first continuous truss road bridges built in the nation.

The replacement, recommended to be a modified tied arch design, is scheduled to open in summer 2011.

Unfortunately, Bridgemapper was never able to visit this bridge.

See the following links for more information:
- Bridge Location on Google Maps
- Lake Champlain Bridge on Wikipedia
- Lake Champlain Bridge Project on NYSDOT

Post-Gazette Article Summarizes CMU Students' Hulton Bridge Preservation Idea

This article, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, summarizes the findings made my junior Civil and Environmental Engineering students at Carnegie Mellon University, on the preservation of the Hulton Bridge. It also shows the obstacles in saving this historic structure.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09358/1023150-56.stm

Carnegie Mellon students Hulton Bridge preservation project topic on Design Training site

Findings on a feasibility study to save the Hulton Bridge, conducted by a group of students from Carnegie Mellon University's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, were summarized in Design-Training.com.

The students, advised by Todd Wilson, estimate that it would cost $279,000 to preserve the bridge for pedestrian and bicycle use. They found that preservation would cheaper than demolition.

http://www.design-training.com/news/20091209/855/student-designers-re_imagine-pennsylvania-bridge-as-a-bike-path.html

Carnegie Mellon students design alternative use for Oakmont bridge

A group of students from Carnegie Mellon University's Civil and Environmental Engineering Department presented last week on the results of their feasibility study to spare the 101-year-old Hulton Bridge from demolition, and convert it to pedestrian use. Bridgemapper's own Todd Wilson served as the group's advisor.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_656797.html

Three New Pennsylvania Counties

Cameron, Centre and Clinton Counties, in north central Pennsylvania, have been added to the site.

Cameron County
Centre County
Clinton County

2010 Bridge Calendars

Todd Wilson has created two calendars for 2010: The Bridges of America and Bridges of the Pittsburgh Area.

Calendars are $18.99 each. Go to our new shop to purchase them.

Bakerstown Bridge Repaired and Reopened

The Bakerstown Bridge in Allegheny County has been repaired and reopened.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09329/1016408-100.stm

Western Pennsylvania Bridge Projects

PennDOT has announced 33 new bridge preservation, rehabilitation, and replacement projects that will take place in Western Pennsylvania.

The news appears to be mostly good for historic bridge preservationists.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09327/1015746-455.stm

Meeting to Discuss the Future of the Ohl Street Bridge

Mercer County, PA officials and engineers held a meeting to discuss restoring or replacing the Ohl Street Bridge in Greenville, Mercer County, PA. The 100-year-old through truss crosses the Shenango River.

http://www.sharon-herald.com/archivesearch/local_story_323221424.html

2000 Hits!

Bridgemapper is proud to announce its 2000th hit! Here's to many more visitors, bridges, and site improvements!

New Host for Bridgemapper.com

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by Bridgemapper's downtime this morning. We have upgraded to a new host, iPage, and hope to add new features in the coming months. The first great news to report with our new host: no more advertising!

Old Point Marion Bridge Demolished Today

The Point Marion Bridge was demolished this morning:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09320/1013926-100.stm

Charleroi-Monessen Bridge to be Replaced

State transportation planners have reached a consensus with preservationists to demolish and replace the historic Charleroi-Monessen Bridge (Vance DeiCas Bridge).

The pin-connected Pennsylvania truss spans the Monongahela River between Washington and Westmoreland Counties in Pennsylvania. The 1907 bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/localnews/11-13-2009-Charleroi-Monessen-Bridge-Agreement

Old Point Marion Bridge to be Demolished on Monday

Demolition of the Old Point Marion Bridge (Albert Gallatin Memorial Bridge) has been postponed to Monday, November 16. The National Register listed bridge, built in 1930, is the third oldest thru cantilever bridge in Pennsylvania.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09317/1013235-100.stm

New States and Counties

Bridgemapper is pleased to announce the addition of three new states on the site: Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

Since these states have fewer bridges, the maps are by state instead of divided by county. Click on one of these states to view all of the available bridges in that state.

Also added to the site are four new counties in Ohio: Franklin, Gallia, Lawrence, and Pickaway Counties, as well as new bridges in Washington County, PA.

New Name for the Rochester-Monaca Bridge

The Monaca-Rochester Bridge has been renamed to the Rochester-Monaca Bridge.

The name of the bridge is decided each year by the winner of the Rochester and Monaca football game.

The bridge is a continuous cantilever truss that opened in 1986. Like the nearby Vanport Bridge, the top chord is flat and the bottom chord curves downward to form points over intermediate piers. The bridge replaced an unusual three-tower cantilever similar to the Ambridge-Aliquippa Bridge. That bridge, built in 1930, replaced a suspension bridge similar to the 1905 Newell Bridge, located just over the Ohio/West Virginia Border. The Rochester-Monaca Bridge is one of the few major modern truss bridges in Pennsylvania.

Larman Mill Road Bridge Collapses

On October 31, 2009, a propane truck driver disobeyed the 5 ton posting and crossed the Larman Mill Road Bridge. Engineers post weight limits for good reason. Not surprisingly, the truck (as well as the bridge) ended up in the creek. The Larman Mill Road Bridge served a lightly traveled gravel road, used by only 25 vehicles per day. The Pennsylvania Historic Bridge Inventory attributed the bridge to the Farris Engineering Company of Pittsburgh since it is similar to another bridge, a now-demolished SR 3003 bridge over the same creek. At the time of the PAHBI in 1997, PennDOT owned 6 pony truss bridges in Fayette County. In less than ten years, ALL were demolished. In 2009, the similar county-owned bridge was demolished due to a lawbreaking truck. Given the low use of the bridge, it is unlikely that a new bridge will be built in its place.

Links:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_650909.html
http://kdka.com/local/bridge.collapse.fayette.2.1283460.html

New Point Marion Bridge Opened

Photo Credit: Darrell Sapp/Post Gazette

The new Point Marion Bridge opened, and the old Albert Gallatin Memorial Bridge bridge was closed to traffic on October 22.

Visit the historic Point Marion Bridge (Albert Gallatin Memorial Bridge) while you can! The National Register Listed Bridge closed to traffic on October 22nd and is to be demolished November 9th. The 1930 bridge is the third oldest thru cantilever bridge in the state! Note that the replacement bridge, a single span Parker truss, has an extra-wide sidewalk to carry a trail.

The Point Marion Bridge carried PA 88 over the Monongahela River between Fayette and Greene counties.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote this article about the bridge:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09295/1007532-455.stm

Article on the Old Sharpsburg Bridge in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There is an article in today's Post-Gazette about the old Sharpsburg Bridge, which was replaced by the current Robert D. Fleming Bridge.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09280/1003522-294.stm

New Hampshire Bridge Photos Added

Photos of the bridges of New Hampshire have been added to the site.

See the bridge below and other new photos for the following New Hampshire counties:
Rockingham County
Strafford County














Piscataqua River Bridge
Rockingham County, NH

New Bridge Photos from the Historic Bridge Weekend

Bridgemapper has updated photos of several bridges in southwestern Pennsylvania, the West Virginia panhandle, and southeastern Ohio, to new photos taken during the Historic Bridge Weekend.

New photos have been added in Beaver, Fayette, and Greene Counties in Pennsylvania, Belmont and Jefferson Counties in Ohio, and Brooke and Ohio Counties in West Virginia.














Wheeling Suspension Bridge
Wheeling, WV (Ohio County)

Bakerstown Culmerville Road Bridge Closed

The Bakerstown Culmerville Road Bridge was closed today. It is owned by the B&LE Railroad, and the newspaper article says the railroad will repair the bridge. We'll see.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09274/1002310-147.stm

http://www.pghbridges.com/curtisville/0598-4500/bakerstownrd_blerr.htm

http://www.bridgemapper.com/maps/pa/pa_allegheny.htm

Historic Bridge Weekend Photos

Photos from the Historic Bridge Weekend are now on the site! See them here.

Four New States on Bridgemapper

California, Florida, Maine, and New Hampshire have all been added to Bridgemapper. In addition, Delaware, Fairfield, and Perry Counties have been added.

Also check out the new map layout in use for Allegheny County, PA.

Register Now for Preservation of Historic Iron and Steel Bridges and Other Metal Structures Workshop: March 2010

Lansing Community College of Lansing, Michigan and Vern Mesler are inviting all interested individuals to register and attend all or part of a three day workshop entitled Preservation of Historic Iron and Steel Bridges and Other Metal Structures occurring in March 2010. Five $600 scholarships are also available for students to attend this workshop. These workshops would be of interest and value to historians/preservationists, as well as engineering students.

- Three Day Workshop Registration and application for the $600 scholarship available at the Lansing Community College Website: http://lcc.edu/tet/welding.
- More information on the workshop is available at www.historicbridgerestoration.com

Many historic metal artifacts and structures from the turn of the 20th Century, notably metal truss bridges, are aging and becoming deteriorated, producing a growing awareness among the public for a need to restore these important historic structures. These workshops will introduce engineers to the information and skills they need to design solutions and knowledgeably work with contractors to restore historic metals and historic metal truss bridges. For historians, they will introduce them to the both the problems and solutions that are needed to approach the preservation of historic metal structures, and present them with hands-on preservation experiences.

Local News Story on the Bellaire Bridge

HistoricBridges.org's efforts to promote the Bellaire Bridge appeared in a Wheeling, WV local TV news channel, WRTF-7.

See the story at:
http://www.historicbridges.org/belllairebridge.mpg

Donora Webster Bridge Closed to Traffic

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has closed the Donora Webster Bridge, which carries Route 1022 across the Monongahela River and the Norfolk Southern and CSX Rail Lines.

See the following Post-Gazette article for details:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09195/983842-100.stm

1,000 Hits

Bridgemapper.com received it's 1,000th hit today! Here's to many more visitors to the site!

Thanks for a Great First Annual Historic Bridge Weekend

Bridgemapper would like to thank everyone who made the First Annual Historic Bridge Weekend such a success.

Thank you to all the presenters, guests, local guides, media, restaurant staff, and volunteers!

Media Coverage of the Historic Bridge Weekend

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the The Valley Independent did several stories on our First Annual Historic Bridge Weekend and historic bridge preservation this weekend:

Two historic bridges face demolition, while two others face uncertain futures
Observer-Reporter -- Sunday, July 19, 2009

Bridge fans enthralled by local spans
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review -- Sunday, July 12, 2009

Group Wants to Revive Bellaire Toll Bridge
WRTF-7 (Wheeling, WV) -- Sunday, July 12, 2009

Threatened Mon River Bridges Admired

by Scott Beveridge -- Travel with a Beveridge Blog -- Sunday, July 12, 2009

Charleroi-Monessen Bridge topic at historic span event
The Valley Independent -- Friday, July 10, 2009

Preservationists fear demise of region's bridges
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review -- Friday, July 10, 2009

The Next Page: The destruction of our historic metal bridges is the destruction of our heritage
by Eric DeLony -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- Sunday, July 5, 2009

Bridgemapper in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eric DeLony wrote an article about historic bridges in this past Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The article mentions the Historic Bridge Weekend and Bridgemapper.com.

See the article here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09186/981650-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml

Bridgemapper on facebook!

Bridgemapper is now on facebook!

Go to our fan page, and become a fan to network and discuss Bridgemapper and historic bridges.

Historic Bridge Weekend Dinner Flyers

Flyers for the Friday and Saturday dinners for the upcoming Historic Bridge Weekend are now on the site.

Go to the bottom of the Historic Bridge Weekend page to download or view the flyers, print them, and publicize the event!

Ohio and Maryland Added to the Site

Garrett County, Maryland, and Columbiana, Jefferson, and Belmont counties, Ohio have now been added to www.bridgemapper.com. Enjoy!

I also redid the maps so only clickable counties are highlighted in orange.

All of the main counties to be visited during the Historic Bridge Weekend are now uploaded. The itineraries and maps will be available next weekend. However, use www.bridgemapper.com to find additional bridges you are interested in seeing.

Enjoy!

Washington County, PA Added to the Site

Washington County, PA has been added to the site. Enjoy!

Greene County, PA Added to the Site

Greene County, PA has now been added to the site.

Map Improvements, New West Virginia Counties

You'll notice some new updates to the site:

1. Each map now has Previous/Next buttons in the top left of the table of contents. Plus, bridges are now color-coded by bridge type! Thanks to Map Channels for allowing this new content!
- Red - Through Truss
- Fuchsia - Deck Truss
- Purple - Pony Truss
- Yellow - Arch
- Blue - Suspension
- Cyan - Frame
- Green - Beam
- Red with Dot - Other Type or Combination of Types

2. The following new counties in West Virginia have been added:
- Cabell
- Clay
- Doddridge
- Fayette
- Grant
- Greenbrier
- Jefferson
- Kanawha
- Mercer
- Monongalia
- Nicholas
- Ohio
- Pendleton
- Preston
- Putnam
- Tucker
- Wayne

Beaver, Fayette, and Potter Counties Added

Three new Pennsylvania counties are now on the site: Beaver, Fayette, and Potter.

Brooke and Hancock Counties Added

Two new counties have been added to the site: Brooke County and Hancock County, West Virginia.

Davis Avenue Bridge Demolished

The historic 110-year old Davis Avenue Bridge, located in Pittsburgh, was demolished today, May 6, 2009 shortly after 2:00 p.m. The bridge had been closed to traffic since 2000, but remained open to pedestrians until recently. It was demolished after an inspection report by Michael Baker showed that failure was imminent. The problem was attributed to poor repair work done in the 1980's when the city last rehabilitated the bridge.

Read the complete story at:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09126/968037-147.stm

Check www.bridgemapper.com's Allegheny County page for details about the bridge.

Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation News

The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation News, Spring 2009 edition, has an article by Todd Wilson about the historic bridge crisis and what we need to do.

Two Bridge Demolitions

Davis Ave Bridge (Pittsburgh)

An engineering consultant states that HAER-Documented Davis Avenue Bridge is failing, and needs to be demolished as soon as possible. This will happen as early as April 29th, 2009. The bridge is one of only a few remaining 19th century deck cantilevers. See the Allegheny County Bridge Map for more.

Read more at: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09112/964576-100.stm

Charleroi Monessen Bridge (Washington and Westmoreland counties)

The Charleroi Monessen Bridge, linking Charleroi (Washington County) with Monessen (Westmoreland County) is scheduled to be demolished in August, 2009. Since a full restoration of the bridge is to cost the same as replacement (with minimal emergency repairs much cheaper), officials have decided to replace the National Register-Listed Bridge.

This decision will adversely affect tourism for the developing Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. Meanwhile, the number of Western Pennsylvania National Register-Listed river crossings outside Allegheny County will drop to 3 in 2009 from 6 in 2007.

Read more at: http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/04-17-Charleroi-Bridge-Work

Do tourists come to the bridge? Yes. Join many others throughout the country in visiting the bridge prior to its demolition on July 11th as part of the Historic Bridge Weekend (details on this site). Too bad that tourists will stop coming once the bridge is gone.

Is there an economically-feasible alternative to demolition? Sure. Perform emergency repairs and get the bridge reopened to traffic much sooner. Within the next few years build a new bridge in a different location, as well as infrastructure improvements to stimulate business. Once the new bridge is open, convert the historic bridge to a pedestrian-only bridge, historic site, and tourist attraction. Since it costs money to tear down a bridge, use that money to maintain it. Give people a reason to get off I-70 and into Charleroi or Monessen, as they are doing now!

Allegheny County Content Update

Allegheny County content has now been added to the site!

The site has been upgraded to a new version of Map Channels, and is now compatible with both Internet Explorer and Firefox. With this new version of Map Channels, bridges can be displayed using Google Maps, Google Street View, and Microsoft Virtual Earth (including Bird's Eye imagery).