Coal Center Bridge

"Water Street Bridge"

Most Recent Visit To Bridge: July 4, 2006

This truss bridge is located in a scenic, quiet area, with the small town of Coal Center just to the west, and the Monongahela River to the north. This is a six panel Pratt through truss. It features some decorative detailing on the edges of the knee bracing of the portal. 1888 date plaque survive, mounted at the end of the top chord where the end post begins. The bridge is an attractive pin connected structure, and features v-lacing on the vertical members, and lattice on the sway bracing. If there was v-lacing or lattice under the top chord, it is gone now, since plates have been welded under the top chord. These modifications do not detract from the overall beauty and history of the structure in my opinion. Some of the floorbeams have been replaced as well, although original beams remain under the hip verticals. Speaking of hip verticals, this bridge has an unusual feature that tends to show up in older Penn Bridge Company bridges. There are actually two pins side by side at the top end of the bridge, one for the top chord/endpost connection and another for the hip vertical/top chord connection.

Heading east, this bridge crosses Pike Run and then the road passes under a railroad overpass. Between this overpass and the narrow bridge, visibility is a bit on the low side, and you could see how a fender bender might happen if someone was not careful. Rather than foolishly wasting money and demolishing the bridge and overpass, Coal Center found a creative way to increase safety at this crossing. I couldn't figure out why everyone who crossed the bridge was tapping their horn as they crossed, but as I left, I discovered a sign before the bridge that said "Sound Horn." In my opinion this represents a creative way to increase safety of the road, while not having to do anything real drastic. 

Reality Check

 Before reading the below review by the Historic Bridge Inventory, realize the survey was done in 1996, and so the other examples that they mention are quite likely no longer extant. Keep in mind that any bridge that I put on my has historic and/or aesthetic value and is preservation-worthy in my opinion. However not everyone shares my opinion. I do believe however that most historians and bridge enthusiasts would agree that calling a metal through truss bridge built in 1888 non-historic is a bit off-target. The modifications they mentions are either minimal, or something that could be removed as part of a bridge restoration.