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Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lost Bridge
Belles Branch Road Bridge | Belles Branch Road Over Laughery Creek | Rural: Dearborn County, Indiana and Ohio County, Indiana | Metal Pinned Pratt Through Truss, Stationary | 1916 By: Oregonia Bridge Company of Lebanon, Ohio |
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Technical Facts |
| Structure Length | Main Span Length | Vertical Clearance | Roadway Width |
| 146.9 Feet (44.8 Meters) | 142 Feet (43.2 Meters) | 13.6 Feet (4.1 Meters) | 17 Feet (5.2 Meters) |
This bridge is known locally as the "Lost Bridge."
With a 1916 construction date, this is a relatively late example of a pin connected truss bridge that still looks like it came out of the 1890s. This is a very scenic bridge in a very scenic location and is well worth the drive out here. There is v-lacing on the vertical members and under the top chord / end port, and lattice is on the sway bracing, as well as on the portal bracing. Also, original lattice railings remain on the bridge. Cambria brands are present on the bridge. The deck of the bridge is wooden and the bridge sits on concrete abutments. One unusual thing is that the deck seems like it was higher than usual in relation to the feet of the bridge. It was high enough that a small stringer approach is present at the end to lead to the surface beyond the bridge.
Dearborn County reported in September, 2009 that this bridge is undergoing restoration and will be completed in about six weeks. It is nice to see this commitment to preservation with a rural bridge like this. Often bridges tucked away in rural locations go un-noticed and are not preserved.
Information and Findings From Indiana's Historic Bridge InventoryDescription of Bridge The Oregonia Bridge Company of Lebanon, Ohio,
fabricated this single-span, pin-connected Pratt through truss which is
seated upon concrete abutments and wingwalls. Intermediate verticals of
laced heavy channels subdivide the 146' truss into most of its eight
panels. Eyebars provide the diagonals: pairs of die-forged and
rectangular ones stretch toward center span from the top panel point to
the bottom of all except the endpost panels; cylindrical eyebars with
turnbuckles counter the others in the two most central panels. Riveted
to the verticals above the lower chord, I floor-beams carry the concrete
deck with its 17'6" roadway and 13'8" of vertical clearance. Statement of Significance Designed by a noted Ohio firm as a heavy but quite traditional structure, the bridge retains its original members, including its decoratively latticed portals and guardrails. The placement of the floor-beams above the lower chord and the reliance on heavier structural members are more typical of 20th than of 19th c. Pratt construction. Bridge Considered Historic By Survey: Yes |
