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With a construction date of 1866, this is among the greatest and most important historic bridges in the United States.
While this bridge is classified as a suspension bridge, it is as much a cable-stayed bridge since it includes cable-stays as well. This hybrid design is a trademark of Roebling Bridges. It is ironic that Roebling used cable stays on his bridges that were built so long ago. Cable-stays pretty much died out along with Roebling for over a century until they re-popularized in recent years. Nearly all long-span bridges built in the 21st century are cable-stayed bridges.
A major rehabilitation occurred to this bridge when the stiffening truss and deck was replaced in the 1890s. This means a major part of the bridge is really 1890s materials, not 1866. However, these alterations are themselves historic, since they date to the 1890s. They do not diminish the national significance of the historic bridge.
People often compare this bridge to New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, which is much larger, but is also slightly newer. Certainly, the Brooklyn Bridge is a magnificent structure, but the Roebling Bridge holds its own in comparison. The bridge is older and a sort of prototype that provided Roebling with the experience needed to successfully execute the Brooklyn Bridge project. Visually, the bridge is on the same level as the Brooklyn Bridge. While not as large, it has many ornate/aesthetic details. The arched stiffening truss that is filled with visually pleasing v-lacing and lattice on the Roebling Bridge offers quite a different aesthetic than the slightly plainer, boxy stiffening truss on the Brooklyn Bridge. The Roebling Bridge's stiffening truss has a graceful arch to it.
Above: Early 20th Century Photo of Bridge. Source: Library of Congress
This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos
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