|
Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Blome Road Bridge | Truss | Blome Road | Hamilton County, OH | Indian Hill | Sycamore Creek Tributary |
Crossing a tributary of Sycamore Creek, this attractive bridge was built in 1888 by the Queen City Bridge Company. It is a pin connected Pratt through truss bridge. The structure is composed of six panels. It is most noted for its slight skew. Although modern railings are in front, the original railings remain behind them. They are highly unusual because they pass through the vertical members, and also the endposts. This railing design is evidence that railings in this era were not built with protecting the trusses in mind. A horse-drawn carriage would not be likely to cause much damage. The bridge crosses a Tributary of Sycamore Creek.
Hamilton County "restored" this bridge for vehicular traffic. Well, actually, what they did is build a beam bridge and then sat the bridge on top of the beams. As a result, the trusses are only decorative and do not function. This method of restoration is good because it meant they did not have to repair or retrofit the truss to continue to support traffic at a decent weight limit. It is bad because it negatively affects the visual appearance of the bridge. I found a beautiful side view of this bridge in the trees with the rock-filled creek, as shown above, but the big steel beams under the bridge really messed up the ambience of the photo. The deck of the bridge is not historically accurate either, as it is metal grate with concrete filling. Not a big deal, but the deck would originally have been wooden.
Before you break out a pen and paper and write a letter of thanks to Hamilton County for not demolishing this bridge, think again. While I like this bridge, and am happy it is not going anywhere, Hamilton County is guilty of demolishing two and soon to be three of the most spectacular truss bridges ever built. See the Blue Rock Road Bridge page for more information. It is typical that the county has chosen to preserve the smallest and least significant of their truss bridges.
