VA 57 Banister River Bridge
This five-panel Pratt pony truss span closely follows the standard plan used by the state of Virginia during the 1920s and 30s. All connections on the bridge are made with rivets. It features a v-laced top chord (the zigzagging metal strips that are visible in some of the photos), as is typical of many of the bridges built in the state during this time. On each side of the truss is a concrete tee-beam approach span, with the four beams having curves just above the piers/abutments; this is also the standard Virginia design. The piers feature the arched design that can be found on bridges built in the 1920s, but feature squarer columns that exude a certain degree of 1930s practicality. The bridge has very high historical integrity, and appears to have changed very little in appearance since the time in which Ford Model A's and Studebaker Dictators rolled across its deck. It retains its flimsy pipe-railings on the truss, as well as both builder's plaques.
Asides from the apparent surface rust on the truss members, this bridge appears to be in very good condition, with no flaking metal or damaged concrete. It has a 63.6% sufficiency rating, with the only complaint of it being the fact that its railing fails to meet the modern standard. Such a high rating is extremely unusual for a bridge constructed nearly 80 years ago. Furthermore, it continues to carry a 55 MPH primary state highway without a weight limit. More than ten fully-loaded tractor trailers crossed the bridge at full speed while I was photographing it, a testament to its reserve strength.
Small pony trusses like this one on primary highways are more likely to be demolished than other bridge types, mainly due to the fact that they can be expensive to maintain and seemingly have little historical value. Furthermore, their short span lengths and often-rural locations made them simple and easy to replace with modern bridges. For these reasons, and others, bridges like this are very seldom encountered on highways today. Virginia's neighbor to the south, North Carolina (which has eradicated most of its truss bridges), does not have a single example like this. Virginia, however, has a few remaining examples, some of which like this one remain on primary highways; others are located on bypassed alignments. It is important that scenes like this one be photo-documented before they are completely gone from the landscape.
Facts
- Year erected: 1932
- Builder: Roanoke Iron and Bridge Works of Roanoke, VA.
- Route Carried: VA 57
- Crosses: Banister River
- Location: Pittsylvania County, VA.
- Design: Five-panel, riveted Pratt pony truss spans; Two curved concrete tee beam approach spans.
- Inside width: 23 ft., two lanes
- Length of main span: 76.1 ft. Total length: 162.1 ft.
- National Bridge Inventory ID: 13740
- Coordinates: 36°49'37.46"N, 79°19'10.02"W
Pictures
- Various side shots of the truss span.
- Portal shots facing east and west, respectively.
- L: an approach span. R: one of the two piers, as well as the underside of a tee beam span (note the imprints from the wood forms).
- Riveted gusset plate connections.
- L: one of the two builder's plaques. C: a Virginia construction date plate (note the different date from the builder's plaque). R: the pipe railing attached to the front post.