|
Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Fairhaven Bridge | Truss | Concord-Fairhaven Road | Preble County, OH | Rural | 4 Mile Creek |
|
Technical Facts |
|
Construction Date |
Structure Length | Roadway Width |
| 1907 | 90.9 Feet | 16.1 Feet |
This bridge is a pin connected Pratt through truss with six panels. It sits on concrete abutments. The bridge retains original lattice railings. V-lacing is present under the top chord and on vertical members. The portal bracing is an a-frame design. The superstructure appears to be in good condition, and the bridge would certainly be an excellent candidate for restoration. The only major trouble spot is the deck which someone creatively patched with plate steel, braced with cement reinforcing rods. Very classy.
Despite the fact that this bridge is a beautiful pin connected through truss on a quiet rural roadway, Preble County wants to demolish this bridge. This is absurd, particularly considering that they have chosen to preserve a number of wooden covered bridges in the county. Wooden covered bridges are overrated, and they get preserved, while equally or more significant metal truss bridges are demolished. It is discrimination to demolish a pin connected truss bridge and restore a covered bridge at the same time. Yet it happens, time and time again. It is for this reason that you will find none of Preble County's (or any other place's) wooden covered bridges on this website. My goal is to show that there is more to historic bridges than wooden barn-like objects, and that bridges such as the Fairhaven Bridge offer an equal or greater amount of aesthetic and historic value.
Preble County has a lot of truss bridges remaining, and as a result, I feel they should restore all their truss bridges, and make themselves a tourist destination. There actually are very few counties left that rival this county in terms of number of truss bridges.
