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This Pratt truss bridge is noted for its ornate portal cresting and was spared demolition and moved here to the Wyoming County Fairgrounds in 2022. This was not the first time it had moved. According to Phil Palen, Gowanda Area Historical Society, this span originally was the State Hospital Bridge in Collins, Erie County. It spanned the south branch of Clear Creek on what is now US 62/NY-39, just north of Collins Correctional Facility (42.494424, -78.92863). It was moved to Schoellkopf Road in 1933. The relocation and reuse of this bridge is a positive development and its location should ensure relatively light use and a long service life. The relocation contractor was L. C. Whitford of Wellsville.
An unusual aspect of the relocation is that the entire top chord and endpost appears to have been replaced. It is unclear why such an extensive replacement was done. Alternative repair approaches do exist to limit wholesale replacement of historic truss bridge members. Bolts were used instead of rivets, so the alterations are clear to anyone visiting the bridge. Also, the lower laterals were connected to the abutments instead of the end floor beams, which may have been eliminated, another unusual repair approach.
Another unusual aspect of this project is that this through truss also displaced another historic bridge, a pony truss at this location. For now however, that pony truss has also been spared demolition and is stored (fully assembled) on the ground nearby in a manner conducive to something other than being scrapped out as its supported and kept off the dirt.
The National Bridge Inventory listed a span length of 98.8 but other sources indicate a 101 foot span. A ca. 1905 construction date was given. Historical photos confirmed the builder for this bridge, please see the other page for that.
This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos
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