Barkers Creek Road Bridge

The Jewel J. Revis Memorial Bridge over the Tuckasegee River

Truss bridges of any configuration are scarce today in North Carolina, and to encounter one that is not a standard Pratt or Warren is extraordinary. This fascinating, relatively well-preserved nine-panel Camelback truss is such a find, straddling the Tuckasegee River in sight of the busy Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. The bridge managed to escape the furnace in the 1980s, unlike so many of North Carolina's fine truss bridges. Today, with its abandonment next to its dull modern replacement well-established, this bridge's future appears to be reasonably secure, as it continues to make for an attractive scene against the surrounding mountains.

Camelback truss bridges are one of the rarer configurations, largely due to the fact that they were only built for a short period. They are distinguished by their top chord, which always has three sections (or five if the front posts are counted). This remains constant even if the number of panels varies. On many Camelback bridges there are two panels beneath each top chord section (plus one inside each front post), for a total of eight panels; the Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge in the Piedmont of NC is one such example. With an extra panel in the center, however, the bridge has a flatter, more elongated appearance, compared to the "archish" outline of an eight-panel structure. It is these sorts of design varieties that make historic truss bridges exponentially more interesting than the cookie-cutter structures of today.

All connections between structural members on the bridge are made with steel pins. According to the Historical American Engineering Record, the structure was erected in 1920, making it a late example of a pin-connected bridge (1). The diagonal members of the structure either consist of teardrop-shaped eyebars or steel rods with turnbuckles in the middle; some diagonals have parallel rods. The vertical members, because they bear more weight than the diagonals, consist of heavier "built-up" beams, meaning that there are two parallel sections of steel stitched together in a zigzag pattern, referred to as v-lacing. The top chords as well as the portals make use of latticing, which is a double-zigzag pattern. The bottom chord consists of parallel sets of eyebars, which feature circular instead of teardrop-shaped openings. The approaches leading up to the truss span consist of simple stringer spans, supported by timber columns. It is difficult to determine whether or not these are the original approaches. Overall, the bridge appears to have been spared any noticeable modifications. The steel for the bridge was manufactured by Jones and Laughlin.

As is typical of every truss bridge I have personally encountered in North Carolina, the deck has been paved over with asphalt. While this does protect the wood planks underneath from the elements, it also detracts slightly from the bridge, as it would be nice to see it in its original form. Another typical NCDOT addition is the Armco railings along the length of the bridge, which have independent supports as opposed to being crudely bolted onto the truss members.

The HAER claims that the deck on this bridge is wide enough to carry two lanes of traffic. However, their portal shots from the 1970s clearly show that it was only wide enough for one lane.

The USGS has mounted a "stream gaging station" on the bridge, which is perhaps another thing in favor of this bridge's continued existence. Nearby is the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, which runs along the Tuckasegee River for a good portion of its length.