Searching for Old Bridges in Central Illinois

I was suprised to find this next bridge intact and still in service. I had read the bridge was ruined by a moron in a heavy truck in 2007. Apparently the county chose to repair the bridge rather then replace it.

Location: 39°11'60" N, 89°57'48" W​

Here is the news paper story:

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A bridge too far​

Heavy truck collapses key span​

April 13, 2007 11:11 PM
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By MAGGIE BORMAN
The Telegraph
<!-- Video goes here -->Residents of a rural Macoupin County development may be without a key road for up to two months after a truck carrying a load of bricks caused the collapse of a bridge over Macoupin Creek, officials said Friday. ​

Jimmie D. Franklin, 28, of Cottage Hills, was charged with driving on a suspended license and violation of a weight limit sign after he attempted to drive a Landreth Lumber Co. truck loaded with house bricks Tuesday over a one-lane bridge on Lake Catatoga Road, one-half mile south of Shipman Road in Macoupin County. The area is just southeast of Beaver Dam State Park. ​

&#65533;Fortunately for the driver, and Landreth Lumber Co., the truck broke the bridge on the approach span and not over the long span that is about 15 to 20 feet over the Macoupin Creek,&#65533; Tom Reinhart, county highway engineer, said Friday morning. ​

The Illinois State Police said Franklin started across the bridge driving a 1996 Volvo three-axle truck when he heard a &#65533;pop,&#65533; stopped and started to back off the bridge. As he backed off, the bridge collapsed. ​

The bridge was posted with a 3-ton weight limit. The truck’s empty weight was at least 10 tons, with a gross weight of 67,000 pounds, said Polk Township Road Commissioner Russell &#65533;Bud&#65533; Brueggeman. The bridge, 125 feet long and 12 feet wide, is a road district bridge for Polk Township. ​

Reinhart said the one-lane steel truss bridge is south of Shipman Blacktop and Macoupin Station Road. ​

&#65533;I wouldn’t be surprised if the bridge isn’t over 100 years old. There is no one left anymore that remembers the bridge not being there,&#65533; he said. ​

Brueggeman is waiting for the Illinois Department of Transportation to assess the damage to the bridge to determine if repairs should be done or if a replacement is warranted. A new bridge would cost between $600,000 and $800,000, he said. ​

&#65533;If the steel truss is bad, it wouldn’t be worth doing the repairs, so I will wait to get IDOT’s OK to fix it, with possible upgrades, and if I get their OK, it may be about two months before the bridge would be reopened,&#65533; Brueggeman said Friday afternoon. ​

Brueggeman said his father, Bob Brueggeman, just happened on the scene Tuesday when the truck was on the bridge. The truck was leaning, and the driver was standing on the bridge looking at it when the bridge made a loud ‘pop,’ Brueggeman’s father told him. The truck driver jumped in his truck and began to back off the bridge when the front passenger side tire fell off the bridge boards, breaking the timbers as the driver continued to back up. ​

&#65533;My dad said the driver saw dad and said ‘this sucks,’ and he asked my dad how to get to Lake Catatoga, and after Dad told him how to get there, the driver left, and my dad called me,&#65533; Brueggeman said. ​

He told his father to call the State Police then called several people to get them out looking for the truck and driver. ​

&#65533;I was the one that found the driver. I pulled up behind him in my semi, and he was standing on top of his truck trying to get a signal for his cell phone. When he got down, I tapped him on the shoulder and said, ‘I heard you fell through a bridge today,’ and he said ‘yeah,’ and I said, ‘Well, I am the road commissioner and that was my bridge.’ I told him the ISP was on the way to be sure everything was reported and covered the right way,&#65533; he said. ​

Brueggeman said the lumber company truck was loaded with house bricks and drywall. ​

&#65533;He fell in on the approach ramp that is about 20 feet long,&#65533; Brueggeman said. &#65533;If he had driven up on the main span, the truck would have ended up upside down in Macoupin Creek and he probably wouldn’t have made it.&#65533; ​

Brueggeman, in his third term as road commissioner, said he has heard stories about such accidents; however, this was the first one he has ever seen. ​

&#65533;I actually felt pretty sorry for the driver,&#65533; Brueggeman said. &#65533;He was from Cottage Hills, and he probably felt he was in another country out here in the county.&#65533; ​

Reinhart said residents use the road and bridge almost daily. ​

&#65533;For those residents, the closure will be a major inconvenience,&#65533; he said.​

Location: 39°11'60" N, 89°57'48" W​

Brad

Nice stuff Brad,

The story about that bridge collapsing from the truck brings back a memory of a bridge that collapsed near me.

About 1 mile West of Mt. Vernon, Illinois was a steel bridge over the BigMuddy river on rt. 15, which was
called rt. 460 back then.
Me and my mom drove my dad over this bridge all the time to Ashley, Illinois where he caught a train
to Chicago to work------that was in the 50's and 60's.


A huge fork lift drove over it and the bridge collapsed----in 1970---I was in college.
Me and a buddy drove out there is his 63 chevy and took some pictures of it.

Check these pieces of history.

That is me on the fork lift------1970.





That's my buddy Mark McQuire (who I've never seen since) on top of it in this picture.
My recollection is the guy never got hurt---but can you imagine how scary that was ???

Wow Mark, I am impressed you still have those photos!!
I gotta wonder what was going through the fork lift drivers mind as the bridge was collapsing under neath him!
THANKS for sharing!!


Brad

Here we have a pony truss bridge over Shaw Point Branch on Sumpter Road, 2.5 mi. SE of Stand City. This bridge was built in 1900 with a total length of 81 feet and deck width of 14.1 feet.

This bridge had been closed just hours before we arrived. The skid steer used to pile the dirt in front of the bridge was still there and you coud see the marks in the gravel where the baracades had just been drug up to the dirt piles. I hope it was closed for maintenance or repairs and will be open again soon! We did ride around the baracades and across the bridge, as no one was around

Location: 39°18'48" N, 89°46'10" W

Oh--your such a bad boy----same thing I would have done !!!

BigDog

Here is the second of the two bridges I found in Macoupin county that I was unaware of.

Location: N39 15.802 W89 48.595





Up next is the concrete bridge over Honey Creek on Old IL 4 (at one time US 66) between Carlinville and Gillespie, 5.8 mi. south of Carlinville. This bridge is on one of the very few alignments of the original route 66 that can is still open to traffic. This bridge was built in 1920 with a total length of 63 feet and deck width of 20 feet. The bridge is slated to be converted into a pedestrian only bridge in the near future.

Location:39°12'51" N, 89°48'45" W














Here is a short video clip riding on the Mother Road.




Brad

Here is the second of the bridges over Honey Creek. It is an open to all traffic pony truss bridge on TR 285. It is 41 feet long with a 14.1 foot deck width.

Location: 39°12'55" N, 89°49'01" W











There is a small concrete ford just to the west of the bridge....




Brad

I cross these bridges several times a week on my way to and from Lincoln. Last night I went to Lincoln to return some movies to the RED BOX and found the bridges closed. I did not have my camera, as it was in the tank bag of the KLR, so I returned today to photograph them.
These bridges have needed maintanince for several years, but have not gotten any. Since there is a new concrete bridge just a 1/2 mile to the east, I do not expect these bridges will ever be repaired and opened for traffic.

























Logan County has a history of removing its old iron bridges shortly after they have been decomishined. If you wish to see these bridges you should make a point of doing so soon.
And YES, MARK....I did go around the baracades and cross the bridges..
Video below!!!




Brad

Good for you.

Stop signs---speed limit signs----warning signs are for people that don't know how to drive----(98% of the public)

Road Closed signs are an invite to give it a go !!!!

Mark

Those were really neat ........... Hope you got out early it was blazin hot today!!!!!!!!!!! Nice Video as well......

Yes, Mark it was HOT! I got out around 1pm and returned home around 4pm.
These were 2 of the bridges we crossed last month on our way to Macoupin county.

Brad

The next bridge we come to is the Kelly Road Bridge. This is a pony truss bridge over Coop Branch on Kelly Road (TR 166), just off Shipman Road. The bridge was built in 1917 and is open to one lane traffic but has been made obsolete by a new bridge on Shipman Road since 1935. The bridge is 73.1 feet long with a deck width of 16.7 feet.

Location: 39°08'46" N, 90°01'24" W











Here is a photo of the "new" bridge on Shipman Rd. The "new bridge" is in very sad shape and in need of repairs. That is the railroad bridge in the back ground.




And here is a photo of the railroad bridge taken from the bridge on Shipman Road.




Brad

Here is an open to traffic pony truss bridge over Macoupin Creek on TR 234, 1 Mi S of Macoupin Station. This bridge was built in 1900 with a total length of 125 feet and deck width of 12.1 feet.

Location: 39°11'59" N, 89°57'48" W










The railroad bridge to the east........




Brad

Here is the Vally Road Bridge, a pin-connected, 6-panel Pratt through truss bridge over Macoupin Creek on Valley Road (TR 170) near Beaver Dam State Park. The bridge is open to traffic with a total length of 140 feet, deck width of 1304 feet and vertical clearance above deck of 14.6 feet.

Location: 39°12'25" N, 90°00'04" W














Brad

Here we have a pony truss bridge over a branch of Macoupin Creek on TR 273, 3 mi. southeast of Chesterfield. This bridge is open for traffic with a total length of 36 feet and deck width of 11.8 feet.

Location: 39°13'03" N, 90°01'19" W









Here is a video clip of the road leading north from the bridge...




Brad

Here is what is left of the Vine Bridge, it was a through truss bridge over Macoupin Creek on TR 12. The bridge was built in 1892 and closed in 2001. It had a total length of 183.1 feet and deck width of 14.1 feet.

location: 39°14'41" N, 90°08'07" W





Here is a short video clip of the road to the old bridge site.
CLICK IMAGE to view video....





Brad

Here we have a bedstead pony truss bridge over Bear Creek on TR 219, 5.0 mi. northwest of Carlinvill. The bridge is open to traffic with a total length of 78 feet and total deck width of 12.1 feet.

Location: 39°18'18" N, 89°58'31" W











Brad

The last bridge we photographed in Macoupin County was the Massa Creek Bridge, an open to traffic (since 1940) Pratt pony truss bridge over Massa Creek on CH 11 with an overall length of 88.9 feet and deck width of 22 feet.

Location: 39°23'24" N, 89°58'53" W




Brad

Here are some bridges from a ride JAKEBRAKE and I took in Montgomery and Fayette Countys a few months ago. I had found a gpx file HERE . The author claimed it was mostly tar & chip, some dirt, gravel and a creek crossing. Looked like a nice way to spend a friday in September, so off we went. There were a few old iron bridges off the track so I rerouted to them.
The first was the Hurricane Creek Bridge, an open for traffic pony truss bridge over Hurricane Creek on TR 255, 7.2 mi. southeast of Witt. The bridge is 48.8 feet in length with a width of 13.7 feet.

Location: 39°10'52" N, 89°15'15" W







I dont know much about the small bridge, but the road to it and from it was fun...



The next bridge was the Ramsey Creek Bridge, an open for traffic riveted, 5-panel Pratt pony truss bridge over Ramsey Creek on TR 19, 3.5 mi. northeast of Ramsey. The bridge was constructed in 1929 with a total length of 84 feet and a deck width of 14.1 feet.

Location: 39°12'11" N, 89°09'57" W







The last bridge on the track was the Ramsey Creek Through Truss Bridge, an abandoned (but intact and in good condition) riveted, 5-panel Pratt through truss bridge over Ramsey Creek on US 51, 6 miles north of Vandalia. The bridge was built in 1924, and abandoned in 1954 after new bridge was built to the east.

Location: 39°06'08" N, 89°05'19" W

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<DT><DT><DT> <DT>The view from the new bridge....


On our way home we ran across this bridge, the Little Creek Bridge in Montgomery County. It is a pony truss bridge over Little Creek on TR 288, 0.5 mi. north of Irving. The bridge is open for traffic and built in 1969 with a total length of 83 feet and deck width of 23 feet.

Location: 39°12'59" N, 89°24'37" W



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Brad

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My hat is off to you. Many of these are literally in my back yard. Had no idea that many are still in use. Great report. One of these days I'll get back and hope to locate a few of them. I love the architecture of them.