Western Ohio's Historic Bridges - Part 2 - General Photos

Posted May 21, 201213 yr

Part two of the western Ohio historic bridge tour begins with the McClure Road Bridge in Darke County. This wrought-iron, seven-panel Pratt through truss was constructed in 1882 by the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio.

I headed eastward through Greenville and began tracing the former Richmond and Covington Railroad, which later became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Conrail. The rail line was abandoned in 1983 and is slowly being converted into Ohio Bicycle Route 36 (Ohio and Indiana Trail). But along the way, I came across the Mill Road Bridge that carried Mill Road over Greenville Creek in Gettysburg. Constructed in 1881 by the Massillon Bridge Company of Massillon, Ohio, the Whipple through truss was rehabilitated in 2011 and 2012. Rehabilitation work included repairing the superstructure, installing a new 3″x4″ timber strip deck and asphalt chip-seal surface, the placement of new wood guardrails and re-mortaring the masonry abutments.

The bridge is part of the Bicycle Route 36, and will be fully open to bicycles and pedestrians in the near future.

A series of four overpasses was constructed for the Columbus, Piqua and Indiana Railroad in Covington. The line westward, from Columbus, Ohio to Union City, Indiana, opened on March 25, 1859. The railroad eventually became part of the Pennsylvania Railroad and then Conrail before being abandoned in 1983.

Adrian Miller requested to tear down the Wall Street overpass on May 1, 2008, with the goal to keep the stones for personal use.(2) The North Mill Street overpass, after being excavated around for dirt, was given an immediate bridge inspection in the spring of 2009. The street has since been closed to traffic.

This is slated to be part of Ohio Bicycle Route 36 (Ohio and Indiana Trail).

North Wall Street

North Pearl Street

North High Street

North Main Street

To the south is the Falknor Road Bridge. The two-span, pin-connected Pratt through truss over the Stillwater River was constructed in 1899. A stone arch bridge is located just to the east and was constructed at the same time.

Relocation work for a new Falknor Bridge began in June 1970 when sealed bids were being accepted by contractors for a replacement Falknor Bridge and alignment. Approach costs in 1971 were pegged at $39,225. Today, the bridges lie within the F.L. Blankenship Riverside Sanctuary.

I ended the tour of western Ohio’s historic spans with the Owens Road Bridge. Carrying Owens Road over Panther Creek, the bridge was constructed in the 1880s by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio. The six-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss was rehabilitated in 1958.