In 1955 the old wooden bridge just north of the homeplace was replaced with one of them newfangled corrigated steel ones. It was heavy steel and was bolted together section by section. I rode my bicycle thru that big dude when it was put in-and I was just a pup. It was about 6 ft tall. Over the years it finally rotted out on the bottom. For the last 3 or 4 years old Jeep has been on the road commissioner to replace it. Well, he just couldn't do it --not enough money in the budget for such extravagent spending. After all, the township had a new concrete bridge to pay for -right down the road from the commissioner. He had to have someway of shipping his hogs to market! Finally, after each rain and the bridge by Jeeps would wash big holes in the road, he was finally moved to do something about it. It was replaced this past Monday. The new one is a thin aluminum "horn" about 4 or 5 ft. diameter. Not much chance of me riding my old bicycle through this new dude. Maybe Jeep can ride old Jake through it! He'd have to crawl! Pap helped put in the old one way back then. He was helping the road commissioner rebuild roads, along with other neighbors, because they were impassable in the winter time. Times sure have changed-some things I really miss and some things I hope I NEVER have to relive. Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 09, 2000

Answers

We have a lot of button tie briges in our county. They were steel frame with wood deck. They just kept blacktopping over the roadwas as it wears down. Several of the bridges are rotted out and have Dips in them. They just keep putting more asphalt patch on. Then when they finally do get money to fix the bridge they tear out the blacktop and rotted wood and put down tread 2x4 standing vertically and reblacktop again...

We have been trying to get new fire equipment for our VFD, but all the new equipment would be to heavy for the bridges.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), August 16, 2000.