Thursday, October 29, 2026

GREAT FALLS ROAD/COLLINS RIVER BRIDGE - ROCK ISLAND, TENNESSEE













 
Great Falls Road/Collins River Bridge on Tennessee SR-287 in Rock Island, in Warren County, in Tennessee. Intersected- Great Falls Road (Tennessee SR-287) over Collins River. Construction Date-1889/1924. Structure Length-655', Main Span Length-246'. Roadway Width-15'. Structure Type: Metal 13 Panel Pin-Connected Parker Through Truss, Fixed and Approach Spans: Metal 10 Panel Rivet-Connected Parker Through Truss, Fixed. Spans: 1 Main Span and 6 Approach Spans. Builder/Contractor: Mount Vernon Bridge Company of Mount Vernon, Ohio and Nashville Bridge Company of Nashville, Tennessee. Engineer/Design-Eugene F. Falconnet. Rehabilitation Date-1924. Inventory Number-890Z0010001. GPS: 35.799810, -85.620110. 

Note: The bridge over the Collins River as seen today is configured from west to east as follows: 2 steel stringer spans, a five panel Warren pony truss, a 13 panel 1889 Pin-Connected Parker Through Truss Span, a 10 panel rivet-connected Parker Through Truss, a five panel Warren Pony Truss, and a steel stringer span. Presumably all spans except the Pin-Connected Parker Truss date to 1924. The 1924 truss spans are historically significant as representative examples of riveted truss spans built by an in-state bridge builder.
The bridge seen at this location was erected by the Nashville Bridge Company in 1924. However, the largest span of this bridge dates to a889, having been reused from a four span bridge in Nashville over the Cumberland River called the Hyde's Ferry Bridge or Bordeaux Bridge. One of the spans was also reused, but was destroyed in 2010 by a major regional flood. This bridge was over the South Harpeth River on Old Harding Road. The 1889 span is individually rare and significant as an extremely unusual variety of Parker Truss whose top chord has a very strongly defined elliptical arch shape. With the destruction of the other span in 2010, this is the only surviving span from Hyde's Ferry Bridge, and its design may be unique among surviving truss bridges in Tennessee and beyond.


PALL MALL BRIDGE - PALL MALL, TENNESSEE











 






Pall Mall Bridge/York Homeplace Bridge, on U.S. Rt-127, in Pall Mall, in Fentress County, in Tennessee. Intersected-U.S. Rt-127 over Wolf River. Construction Date-1940. Structure Length-159', Main Span Length-100'. Structure Type: Metal 5 Panel Rivet-Connected Pratt Through Truss, Fixed and Approach Spans: Concrete T-Beam Fixed. Builder/Contractor: J.M. Hickman Company. Rehabilitation Date-N/A. Inventory Number-25SR0280003. GPS: 36.542290, -84.961660.  

Note: The Bridge is located next the Sergeant Alvin C. York State Historical Park: Alvin York was a United States Medal Of Honor recipient, and the French Croix De Guerre, and considered a World War I hero. 

Tuesday, August 4, 2026

HONEY CREEK BRIDGE - TIPP CITY, OHIO






 















Honey Creek Bridge, outside of Tipp City, Miami County Ohio, within the Honey Creek Preserve. Still on its original alignment and abutments. Road/Highway (modern Ohio SR-571) was rerouted across the Great Miami River. Intersected-Tipp-Carlisle Pike over Honey Creek. (Originally was the Tipp-Carlisle Pike, then was changed to Ohio SR-71 before it was bypassed and abandoned in ca.late 1930s.{Ohio SR-71 later changed to Ohio SR-571 on the new alignment.}). Construction Date-ca.1890. Structure Length-112'. Structure Type: One Span, 7-Panel Pin-Connected Pratt Through Truss. Builder/Contractor-Unknown, although there is possibility of the Smith Bridge Company or the Massillon Bridge Company since each of the companies had made other bridges in this region. GPS: 39.959564, -84.140214. (Remnants of this road, to the west is part of the Preserve's Bridle Trail. To the east, you can actually follow to original path up to Ohio SR-202.)

Physical Description: The One-Span bridge is lightly built and traditionally composed of built-up compression members and eyebar tension members. It has lattice railings. The upper chords are toe-out channels with cover plate and battens; the verticals are toe-out channels with lacing; and the lower chords and diagonals are loop-welded eyebars. The end-panel floorbeam hanger has a pin-and-hanger configuration with a rod extending from the upper chord to about 6" above the deck level; there a pin connects a built-up member of channels and battens, which then provides a pin plate for the lower chord connection and the U-shaped hanger for the floorbeam. The other floorbeams are carried  by U-shaped hangers at the lower-chord pins. The bridge has metal stringers, inluding channels for the fascia stringers, but the deck is now missing. The bridge is supported by ashlar abutments.