Hilton Railroad Bridge

Wilmington's Bridge to the Sky

What you see in the above picture is how this bridge is most often seen: pointing up to the sky. This crossing of the Northeast Cape Fear River heeds to river traffic most of the time, stooping only when it's necessary for a train to cross. From a distance it looks like some crooked tower or even a crane.

The bridge is located in Hilton, an area in northern Wilmington, NC. There have been bridges here for well over a hundred years, but this one dates back only to the 1970s. It is a Warren truss, and as is typical of single-span Warren truss bascule spans, the top chord is sloped. Unlike highway bascule bridges like the nearby Isabel Holmes Bridge, the workings of this one are all out in the open, including the counterweight that balances it out. Also unlike highway bridges it is operated remotely (hopefully with cameras), receiving the signals via the visible radio tower atop the structure's base. There is an operator's house, but I doubt anyone has gone into it for a while.

As is the case with most truss bridges in this era, the connections between members are made with bolts as opposed to rivets. The members themselves are hollow and unified, with holes in them. While not historic or particularly intricate, this structure is pretty interesting to look at, and fits in among the industrial facilities north of the river. It could use a new paint job (the white paint and the red of rust are an unsightly contrast), but I doubt that maintenance of it is a high priority for its owner, CSX, since it doesn't carry a lot of train traffic anymore.

I found on one of the deck girder approach spans a plaque that read, "Built by Bethlehem Steel Corporation. 1971." While this could mean that only the approach spans were built by Bethlehem, I tend to believe that it applies to the structure as a whole, since it is located in a conspicuous spot over the river. If Bethlehem did in fact only build the approach spans, than this placement is very unfair to the other contractors.

This bridge was built alongside its predecessor, most likely, since many of the piers from the old one remain, including one that was probably the base for the previous bascule span. On the western shore there is an old abutment comprised of granite blocks, probably dating to the 19th century. Most of the other piers, however, are made of reinforced concrete, so this abutment is from an even older bridge.

It is virtually impossible to photograph this bridge from the land, without use of a boat, unless you don't mind trespassing. This is particularly unfortunate, since this would be a nice bridge to shoot at night with long exposure, possibly even when a train is crossing it.

Facts

• Year built: 1971
• Builder: Bethlehem Steel Corporation
• Route Carried: CSX Railroad
• Crosses: Northeast Cape Fear River
• Location: Wilmington, New Hanover County, NC
• Design: Warren truss bascule span with deck girder approaches
• Coordinates: 34°15'31.83"N, 77°56'53.57"W

Pictures

• Left: a distant view of the main span. Center: a closer view. Right: the underside.

• Left: the base of the structure, the bascule mechanism, and the counterweight. Center: approach spans. Right: a gusset plate connection, with bolts, on the top chord.

• Left: the Bethlehem Steel plaque on the approach span. Right: a granite abutment from a previous bridge.

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