Middlebury Street Bridge

Too bad this bridge is not on Elkhart Street... then it would be an all-Elkhart bridge! This bridge is in Elkhart in Elkhart County and goes over... you guessed it: Elkhart River!

This is one of several multi-span arch bridges in the city of Elkhart. This one has been heavily modified on the top, with steel railings replacing the original concrete railings. The design of the original railings can be seen on the abutment sections of the bridge, where they still remain, as well as on other bridges in town. Even their new abhorrent slab bridges in town attempt to copy this railing design! The sidewalks on the Middlebury Street Bridge are cantilevered, as can be seen in the above photo.

According to the plaque, this bridge was built in 1931 by Bontrager Construction Co. William S. Moore is listed as the engineer.

Information and Findings From Indiana's Historic Bridge Inventory Statement of Significance A noted regional engineer designed this structure, one of the very few built in Elkhart during the Depression. The bridge retains its architectural and structural integrity. Architectural Description As the Great Depression gripped the United States, Indiana's counties increasingly shifted their inadequate resources from construction to welfare. Many counties stopped building bridges altogether. The cities were more likely to continue a limited program of construction on high-priority sites. This bridge is one of approximately two dozen reinforced concrete filled-spandrel arches built in Indiana cities from 1930-1941. Willima S. Moore desgined and Bontrager Construction Company built the 162' structure consisting of three 53' spans. All the rings are three-centered and quite flat. The central span is symmetrical and springs from 12' up on the piers. The outer rings are unsymmetrical and fuller towards the abutments where they spring from only 3' above the ground level. Cantilevered about 5' beyond the spandrel walls, brackets support eh concrete sidewalks which flank the 42' asphalt roadway. The original coped and balustraded parapet walls remain at the approaches but have been replaced with metal railings over the spans.