Old 1916 Elkhorn Avenue Concrete Pony Truss Bridge

The other day I was browsing bridgehunter.com when I noticed that there an old Concrete Pony Truss bridge spanning the Fresno Slough in rural Fresno County near Burrell on Elkhorn Avenue. Today I went out to the old span to grab some photos.

The Old Elkhorn Avenue Bridge apparently dates back from 1916 according to bridgehunter.com.

Old Elkhorn Avenue Bridge

I don't have an exact date for the replacement Elkhorn Avenue span over Fresno Slough but the old grade still has paint which makes it apparent the replacement probably was built in the last two decades.

As stated above the Old Elkhorn Avenue Bridge spans Fresno Slough. Fresno Slough is a tributary connecting the Kings River to northwest to the San Joaquin River. Before Tulare Lake dried up it would occasionally crest at about 210 feet above sea level which caused a back flow into the Kings River. The back flow of Tulare Lake would in turn flow through Fresno Slough towards the San Joaquin River. Today Fresno Slough rarely has water in it aside from irrigation diversion.

The Old Elkhorn Avenue Bridge can be walked across but there isn't a plaque or indicator to tell travelers any details about the bridge.

Interestingly on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map of Fresno County the modern Elkhorn Avenue is shown as Dodge Avenue. A different Elkhorn Avenue is shown two miles to the south along modern Cerini Avenue.

1935 Fresno County Highway Map

The reason the Old Elkhorn Bridge was likely built was the proximity to the Riverdale Branch Railroad and it's siding in Burrel. The Riverdale Branch Railroad was built in 1910 and has largely been razed. There is still a modern line terminating in Burrel to this day.

More information on the Riverdale Branch Railroad can be found here.

Abandoned Rails on the Riverdale Branch Railroad

Comments

Unknown said…

My family and I visited this bridge to Ghost hunt here because there are stories that a woman killed herself on the same bridge. When we got there we saw things I could never forget. I saw a rotting alpaca/Llama carcass, a mutilated boar carcass, a black bird carcass, and a dog carcass in a bag that smelled like it had been there for years.

2:11 AM

US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains

US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso, Texas and Carlsbad, New Mexico passes through the Guadalupe Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains comprise the highest peaks of Texas which are largely protected as part Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The automotive highway through the Guadalupe Mountains was constructed in the late 1920s as part of Texas State Road 54. US Route 62 was extended from Carlsbad through the Guadalupe Mountains to El Paso during 1932. US Route 62 was joined in the Guadalupe Mountains by US Route 180 in 1943. The Guadalupe Mountains comprise a portion of the 130 mile "No Services" zone on US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso-Carlsbad. Part 1; the history of US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains lie within the states of Texas and New Mexico. The Guadalupe Mountains essentially is a southern extension of the larger Rocky Mountains. The Guadalupe Mountains is the highest range in Texas with the peak elevati

Former California State Route 215

California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering. California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue. California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958. California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become Legislative Route Number 19 (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside. The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in

Paper Highways; unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz

This edition of Paper Highways examines the unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz. The History of Unbuilt California State Route 100 The route that became CA 100 was added to the State Inventory in 1959 as part of the Freeway & Expressway System as Legislative Route 287 . According to CAhighways.org the initial definition of LRN 287 had it begin at LRN 5 (CA 17) and was defined over the below alignment to LRN 56 (CA 1) through downtown Santa Cruz. - Ocean Street - 2nd Street - Chestnut Street For context the above alignment would required tearing down a large part of the densely populated Santa Cruz. A modern Google imagine immediately reveals how crazy an alignment following Ocean Street, 2nd Street, and Chestnut Street would have been. LRN 287 first appears on the 1960 Division of Highways State Map . In 1961 the definition of LRN 287 was generalized to; from LRN 5 via the beach area in Santa Cruz to LRN 56 west of the San Lorenzo River.