Bowstring Arch Bridge Traditional Cache
Wright04: Time for something new
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So what makes this bridge so special?
This Bowstring arch truss is one of the last two remaining in Kentucky. The date of construction is recorded as 1920, but historians believe that it was constructed much earlier, since bowstrings were constructed mainly during the 1870s. The year 1920 could be symbolic for the year it was located to Turtle Creek or possibly just a total error. This bridge is believed to have been constructed by Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio and measured 60 feet long and 12 ft wide according to bridgehunter.com. In 2007 it went through a few reconstruction projects. Steel I-beams were placed above the bottom chord and a concrete deck was laid. The bridge was no longer capable of bearing such a heavy load of vehicle traffic due to long exposure to water. However the top part of the bridge was still in tip top shape. It did not pass crash tests though so it could not be repurposed for a bridge for motor vehicles. Maybe it was fate or just chance, but at a conference a few years ago Bracken county Judge- Executive Earl Bush was seated next to Henderson County Engineer Bill Hubiak. Hubiak mentioned to Bush that park officials were in search of an old bow style iron bridge for a walking trail at a park. Bush replied that he had exactly what Henderson County was looking for.Bracken County Magistrate Clark Hennessey was grateful that the bridge was coming to Henderson and had a good home for he had invested about 40 years into the bridge.
The bridge was touched up in order to extend it’s life at Sandy Lee Watkins Park and make it safer for pedestrians crossing it. The original wood plank deck was replaced with newer whole wood planks. The wood was then pressure treated and sealed. A few of the bows on the bridge were bent or broken and those were also repaired, but were not sandblasted down to smooth in order to preserve some originality in the bridge.
You are looking for a small lock n' lock.
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Raq/pbeare
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