Morseville Bridge

"East Burt Road Bridge"

This Bridge is in Danger!

This very attractive bridge managed to find its way into the National Register of Historic Places. Many truss bridges, including ones that are demolished, are eligible for the Register, but very few are actually put there. It is unclear why this bridge was specifically listed. Perhaps there was once a plan to restore this bridge that never came to be. Perhaps someone should try again to get this bridge restored. It would certainly be worth it. The bridge does show signs that it was at some point repaired, since some of the parts are not original, however it is not a full restoration, and the bridge has since been bypassed and abandoned, where it sits, ready for a restoration either in place or in a new location. The steel grating deck is an unusual piece of work (loose and patched), and there are i-beams with severe section loss on the steel stringer approaches for this bridge. One of them is so rusted that it might fail completely at some point. The actual truss superstructure of the main span is in good condition though, so it would be feasible to execute a full restoration of the truss bridge.

This bridge was built by the Smith Bridge Company, as indicated by an intact plaque, in 1885. The bridge displays the portal bracing and other distinctive design appearances of the 1880s Smith Bridge Company bridges. The structure is a pin connected through truss. It has nice decorative end posts, and the vertical members are v-laced. The bridge originally sat on concrete filled steel caissons, but the western set has been replaced with a concrete pier. The original caissons for that end are still visible laying in the water. The eastern caissons are still in use, and appear to be in excellent condition, despite their long length. This bridge sits up in the air a fair amount. Abutments, which the approach spans sit on, are riveted plate steel. The truss bridge is 138 feet long, and the approach spans are 29 feet.

A visit to this bridge in early 2006 revealed that to the south on a new alignment a new bridge was being built. The road commission reported that they will not be tearing this historic truss bridge down, but will simply leave it abandoned. As such the bridge sets an excellent example to states like Pennsylvania which refuse to leave the old bridge standing next to the replacement. I will likely remain intact in this abandoned condition for decades, but on the other hand, it remains available and feasible to restore it so it can once again serve a functional use.