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Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Falknor Road Bridge | Truss | Falknor Road (Old Alignment) | Miami County, OH | Rural | Stillwater River |
This bridge was built in 1899. It is a two span pin connected Pratt through truss bridge. Each bridge is composed of seven panels. There is v-lacing on the vertical members, under the top chord / end post as well as on the sway bracing. The portal bracing is a lattice design. The bridge sits on stone piers and abutments. There is a stone arch bridge just east of this bridge.
I am thankful that this bridge has not been demolished, and has at least been allowed to stand, allowing its aesthetic and historic value to remain a part of the landscape. This was an argument I made for the Shanley Road Bridge, which is now demolished, even though it was not in the way of its replacement. Miami County went the other way, and did not demolish this bridge after a replacement was built south of the bridge.
On that note, I still feel that Miami County should be ashamed of itself. This bridge sits abandoned, like many bridges back in Michigan are. However, they really fenced this of such that you can't even get on the bridge any more, which really annoyed me. The bridge is very overgrown with plants actually growing out of the bridge deck. Perhaps this is why they fenced it off, but I feel a "use at own risk" sign would be better. People like myself know how to walk on a bridge with a bad deck, or even no deck. A warning sign in my opinion should waive any liability that Miami County has, and if that is not the case, than our justice system is really screwed up. Also, there is a small "park" immediately east of this bridge. I put "park" in quotes because it is really just a dirt drive with a few trails in the woods. But it is in a location that the public can access easily, as it is near to SR-48. To say it politely, the park is not really exploring its potential. There has been little done to bring the beautiful truss bridge, as well as the stone arch into a key part of the park as they should be. This could practically be a small museum here! There could be informational signs set up for the bridges. If the bridge were restored for pedestrians, people could get on the bridge and take a look at it.
