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Hillside Road Bridge

Hillside Road Bridge

Primary Photographer(s): Nathan Holth

Bridge Documented: August 24, 2019

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Facility Carried / Feature Intersected
Hillside Road (CR-145) Over Cuyahoga River
Location
Independence: Cuyahoga County, Ohio: United States
Construction Date and Builder / Engineer
1923 By Builder/Contractor: King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio
Rehabilitation Date
2003
Main Span Length
200.0 Feet (61 Meters)
Structure Length
203.0 Feet (61.9 Meters)
Roadway Width
23.6 Feet (7.19 Meters)
Spans
1 Main Span(s)
Inventory Number
1832107

Historic Significance Rating (HSR)
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Bridge Documentation

This is one of the latest known surviving examples of a bridge built by the famous King Bridge Company, which ceased operations around this time. There once was another bridge of similar design in this region on Fitzwater Road

View Archived National Bridge Inventory Report - Has Additional Details and Evaluation

 

Information and Findings From Ohio's Historic Bridge Inventory

Setting/Context

The bridge carries a 2 lane road over the Cuyahoga River in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. There is a modern pedestrian/bike bridge adjacent.

Physical Description

The 1 span, rivet-connected Pratt thru truss bridge has built-up chords and rolled web members. It was rehabilitated in 2003 with replacement deck, railings, repairs to members, and painting.

Summary of Significance

The 1923 Pratt thru truss is a late example of its type/design with no distinguishing features. It has riveted connections, typical of Pratt trusses from about 1900 to the 1940s when riveted connections began to be phased out in favor of welded connections. This example is not historically significant for its technology or context. More distinguished examples better represent the significance of the type/design in the development of the state's road systems. Pratt trusses were undoubtedly the most popular truss design of the last quarter of the 19th century and continued to be built into the 20th century, although eventually superseded in popularity by Warren trusses. The design, which initially was a combination of wood compression and iron tension members, was patented in 1844 by Thomas & Caleb Pratt. Ohio has three covered bridges that use this combination configuration, but they are all modern reconstructions based on the Pratt patent. The great advantage of the Pratt over other designs was the relative ease of calculating the distribution of stresses. More significantly, it translated well into an all-metal design in lengths of less than 200'. Significant surviving examples of all-metal Pratt trusses mostly date to the last quarter of the 19th century, and they are found with thru, pony, and the less common bedstead configuration. Prior to about 1890, a variety of panel point connections were in widespread use (including bolts, cast-iron pieces, and pins), but engineering opinion was coalescing around pins as the most efficient and constructible. Many of the connection details were proprietary and associated with individual builders or companies, and thus earlier examples are generally taken to be technologically significant in showing the evolution of the design. Later post-1890 Pratt trusses show a progression toward less variation in their details such that by 1900 the design was quite formulaic with few significant differences between the designs of various builders. This marked the end of the pin-connected Pratt's technological evolution and, in fact, it was soon waning and eclipsed in the highway bridge market by more rigid, rivet-connected truss designs, particularly the Warren but also riveted Pratts. The transition to riveted connections, which happened even earlier with railroads than highways, was in no small part due to concerns about stress reversals at the pins under heavier loads and improvements in pneumatic field riveting equipment in the early 1900s. In Ohio, Pratt truss highway bridges, whether pinned or riveted, were almost always built under the auspices of counties and local units of government; the Pratt was not a standard design of the state highway department. In Ohio, there are 185 Pratt trusses dating from ca. 1874 to 1945 with at least 60 dating prior to 1900 (Phase 1A, 2008). The technologically significant unaltered examples of pin-connected Pratt trusses for the most part date prior to 1900 and have documented or attributed builders and dates of construction and/or significant connection or member details. Later post-1900 examples are less technologically significant. Significant unaltered examples of riveted-connected Pratt trusses date from ca. 1900 to 1915.

Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: No

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Maps and Links: Hillside Road Bridge

Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude):

Search For Additional Bridge Listings:

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

Bridgehunter.com: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

HistoricBridges.org Bridge Browser: View listed bridges within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of this bridge.

2021 National Bridge Inventory: View listed bridges within 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) of this bridge.

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