Bean Creek Private Bridge
Bridge Documented: Fall/Winter 2006 and January 29, 2009
Photographer(s): Nathan Holth
| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bean Creek Private Bridge
| Private Trail Over Bean Creek | Rural (Near Hudson): Lenawee County, Michigan | Metal Pinned Pratt Half-Hip Pony Truss, Stationary | By: Unknown |
| Technical Facts |
| Main Spans |
| 1 |
This is a private bridge that HistoricBridges.org received permission to visit. It is a four panel half-hip Pratt pony truss of decent length. At the time of documentation, the structure did not currently have a deck with the exception of a few planks to allow a pedestrian to walk on the bridge. The bridge sits on concrete abutments.
The traditionally composed truss is composed as follows. Verticals: Two pairs of angles riveted together with v-lacing sandwiched between the angles. Top chord and end post: Back-to-back channels with cover plate and v-lacing. Bottom chord: loop-forged eyebars. Diagonal members: loop-forged eyebars. Floorbeams: Rolled American Standard Beams (i-beams)
Railings are missing of the bridge, except for a single piece of wood. It appears, thus, that this bridge had wooden railings. The mounting apparatus for these wooden plank railings still remain on the bridge. Although unusual, it does appear that wood was used for railings in rare circumstances. Another example is the Sherman Road Bridge. Overall, the structure appeared to be in good condition, with the exception of the connections. At the connections, severe section loss was present, particularly on the eyebars. There was also considerable pack rust between the top chord and end post channels and the cover plate.
At the request of the bridge's owner, HistoricBridges.org assisted in developing the most inexpensive method possible to correct the connection deficiencies, as well as repairing a large crack in the abutment, with the goal of maintaining the bridge's ability to stand, hold a wooden deck, and carry pedestrians.
