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Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Loren Road Bridge | Loren Road Over Whetstone Creek | Rural (Near Mt. Gilead): Morrow County, Ohio | Metal Bowstring Through Truss, Stationary | 1879 By: Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio |
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Technical Facts |
| Rehabilitation Date | Structure Length | Bridge Width | Bridge Height | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 1995 | 103 Feet (31.4 Meters) | 14.76 Feet (4.5 Meters) | 13.1 Feet (3.99 Meters) | 1 | None |
Thanks to Rick McOmber for visiting and photographing this bridge.
This bridge is sometimes called The Trestle Bridge because there was once a railroad bridge that crossed the creek beside this bridge. The bowstring truss bridge is arguably the rarest "once-common" type of bridge in North America. A blend of truss and arch structure types, these bridges were mainly built in the 1870s, and bridge builders experimented with the use of metal in bridge building. As such, with the exception of a few outliers, bowstring truss bridges are among the oldest metal bridges in the country. This rarity does not mean however that appropriate sources of funding are available to restore the few remaining bridges however. Programs like the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Act have saved only one structure type, leaving other structure types, regardless of historic significance, to be unfunded and often demolished and replaced.
The fate of the Loren Road Bridge is in question, because it was at the receiving end of a careless driver who collided with and damaged the bridge. Vehicle-bridge collisions occur far too often, most likely because drivers are never penalized appropriately. In this case, the driver's insurance should have been called upon to repair the damages done to this important historic bridge. Drivers need to remember to reduce speed significantly when crossing narrow and historic bridges. Doing so will ensure that control of the vehicle is not lost, and that both bridge and driver remain safe.
The Loren Road Bridge is a rare example of a Wrought Iron bridge Company bowstring truss bridge. Alterations include replacement of much of the flooring system, as well as replacement of the sway bracing. Otherwise, the structure is an excellent example of its type, and is a fairly long example as well.
