Toledo Amtrak Station Railroad Bridge

Most Recent Visit: July 4, 2006

This bridge is a real mystery because I have not been able to figure out if it was originally a highway bridge or a railroad bridge. The design of the trusses have the appearance of a railroad bridge. But, it certainly was a highway bridge prior to being closed and had been a highway bridge for a long time, based on the deck. Maybe it was always a highway bridge, and was just built a bit on the massive side. The deck is very interesting because it is brick! Unfortunately, an asphalt layer placed on top hides most of it. The bridge features both v-lacing and lattice, and the portal bracing and sway bracing use an unusual lattice design, which features fairly large plates to fasten the lattice to.

The bridge is an two span Pratt through truss with riveted connections. Each span features eight panels. Cantilevered sidewalks are present on either side of the structure, and may or may not be original. The bridge is closed to vehicular traffic, but pedestrians can still access the structure. The bridge appears to have been closed when the expressway was constructed, since I-75 cut off the south access to this bridge.