Little Darby Creek Covered Bridge in Monochrome

[Andrew L (gryphon1911)]

Fuji X-Pro 2 & Fuji 16mm f/2.8 WR

 

My custom Kodak Panatomic-X 50 film simulation - SOOC JPG with just a little straight and crop in Lightroom.

 

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[Dallas]

Very nice work, Andrew. I like these a lot. 

[crowecg]

Interesting - nice shots.

 

I’ve always wondered at the reason behind such bridges - I’ve never seen any up close.  It looks like it is some sort of through-truss structure inside, is it purely architectural to hide the industrial look or is the bridge truss also timber and thus protected from the elements.  

[Andrew L (gryphon1911)]

13 hours ago, crowecg said:

Interesting - nice shots.

 

I’ve always wondered at the reason behind such bridges - I’ve never seen any up close.  It looks like it is some sort of through-truss structure inside, is it purely architectural to hide the industrial look or is the bridge truss also timber and thus protected from the elements.  

 

Historically, these were all made of wood, so the covered structure protects the flooring of the bridge as well as the supporting structures.  In this part of the USA, we get a lot of rain during the spring and fall; a lot of ice and snow in the winter months.   Because the bridge is susceptible to freezing temps, having air flow above and below can cause the roadway to freeze quicker than the roadway on either side of the entrance.   If you can prevent the precipitous elements from getting on the road, you also help cut down on potential accidents or loss of control of vehicles.

 

Now, the roadway and bridge supports are modern (this bridge was built in 2012), using asphalt for the road building materials makes elemental deterioration concerns less of an issue.  The above ground supports, for this bridge are made of more "legacy" materials like raw metals and wood.   This still makes sense to use the covering to protect those materials.

 

In my opinion, this was an aesthetic choice for this bridge in this area.  If you are a movie buff and have ever heard of the film, "The Bridges of Madison County"....this area is that Madison County in Ohio where that book/movie was based.  Covered bridges here are more rare than in the past, but still a coveted commodity.

 

Hope I gave you the info you were looking for.

[crowecg]

10 hours ago, Andrew L (gryphon1911) said:

 

Historically, these were all made of wood, so the covered structure protects the flooring of the bridge as well as the supporting structures.  In this part of the USA, we get a lot of rain during the spring and fall; a lot of ice and snow in the winter months.   Because the bridge is susceptible to freezing temps, having air flow above and below can cause the roadway to freeze quicker than the roadway on either side of the entrance.   If you can prevent the precipitous elements from getting on the road, you also help cut down on potential accidents or loss of control of vehicles.

 

Now, the roadway and bridge supports are modern (this bridge was built in 2012), using asphalt for the road building materials makes elemental deterioration concerns less of an issue.  The above ground supports, for this bridge are made of more "legacy" materials like raw metals and wood.   This still makes sense to use the covering to protect those materials.

 

In my opinion, this was an aesthetic choice for this bridge in this area.  If you are a movie buff and have ever heard of the film, "The Bridges of Madison County"....this area is that Madison County in Ohio where that book/movie was based.  Covered bridges here are more rare than in the past, but still a coveted commodity.

 

Hope I gave you the info you were looking for.

 

Thanks for the explanation.  The places I've lived tended to have gotten rid of timber bridges long ago, some really old stone ones survive, but many old historical bridges are iron.  Nowadays concrete and steel are the main materials, with the default option locally being prestressed concrete, 'Super-T' beams below the deck for roads and 'U-Trough' for elevated rail.  (oh dear, I'm, getting all civil engineery.)   

[Andrew L (gryphon1911)]

A lot of these types of bridges are considered historical landmarks now and are federally protected and maintained. 
 

Apl

urban bridges are of modern material and design, it is usually the rural ones that garner the historic badge and are marked for preservation. 

[Anthony]

Thanks, Andrew, I have often wondered about the reasons, and you have explained them very clearly.