A bridge Too Far!

This bridge is in Coshocton County, pretty well in the middle of nowhere. Its not even the bridge I was looking for but a fairly new replacement of the original Pratt Through bridge that was at this site.

Don't be fooled by the nice gravel road in the picture. The "roads" (to use the term loosely) I took to get here were the worst I've encountered and there were miles of them. Mostly dirt with steep hills and tight curves. Sections with deep hard-as-rock dirt ruts and others with sparse gravel. Parts only 8' wide, some sections with grass growing on the crown.

There is a decent route to the bridge if you come from the south-west (that's how I exited). I came to the bridge from the north. I'm surprised these roads were on a map. They have no business being called "Township Highways" as they are not passable by car! I don't know how I kept my street motorcycle shiny side up. The vehicles of choice would have been a dirt-bike or a raised 4-wheel drive pickup. I certainly wouldn't want to be in any wussy SUV.

Road Trip to Pickaway County

A Pickaway County Pratt Throught Truss Bridge

On Saturday I visited six potential bridge sites in Pickaway County, OH and was pleasantly surprized by what I found. This picture is typical of the large well maintained bridges there. This one was built in 1907 and is over Walnut Creek.

An Ominous Sign for a Bridge Site

A bridge in Fairfield County is about to be bypassed! Looks like I made my visit just in time as this is a sure sign a new bridge site is being prepared. It's common to build the replacement beside the old bridge. This is done for serveral reasons. Obviously, its less disruptive to traffic but often old bridges cross the waterway at right angles to have the shortest possible span length. This gives the road an "S" shape. The new bridge will straighten the road making a safer approach.

Another Bridge about to be Replaced

Falls Mill Bridge, Logan, OH

Construction has begun on replacing this fine old (1914) Pennsylvania Truss bridge. Traffic has become too heavy for this structure, which is located on busy State Route 664 in Logan, Ohio.

The question remains. Will they leave it standing next to the new bridge or tear it down?

Hunter Road Bridge Saga Continues.

The Hunter Road Bridge debate continues in Knox County. See this article in KnoxPages

http://www.knoxpages.com/?NewsID=3159

The heavy flooding earlier this year has caused damage to the bridge, which was recently recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.