|
Key Facts |
Bridge Name |
Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| Verne Road Bridge | Truss | Verne Road | Saginaw County, MI | Rural | Misteguay Creek |
This is a steel warren pony truss, and according to MDOT, is among the longest of the pony trusses. It has a concrete deck, and also includes concrete curbs, which is unusual, compared to other pony trusses I have seen. The bridge is mostly rusted, although some silver paint still shows. This bridge is most like the Nicol Road Bridge in Sanilac County. The distance of the top chord to the deck is relatively short compared to other standard plan pony trusses like Card Road Bridge. The bridge sits on concrete abutments. It retains its original lattice guardrails.
I am unsure why this bridge was closed to traffic, since the structure appears to be in mostly good condition. The roads that lead to this bridge have almost become farm trails, and there are no houses visible within perhaps a mile. It is possible that this bridge was closed due to a lack of use rather than a failing structure. However, as the bridge sits is will eventually become a failing structure.
The bridge appears to have been hit from the outside, perhaps from a flood, since one of the verticals is slightly bent and there is a very slight curving on one of the top chords. It does not appear to be enough to affect the integrity of the structure. The river has been dredged and re-contoured a bit, and based on how high the river has been built up I would guess that this river does flood up over the bridge.
