AAA Carolinas release their Top 20 worst bridges in North Carolina

An annual topic here on the blog is the 20 Worst Bridges in North Carolina produced by AAA Carolinas. The 2010 list was recently released and the bridge making the most headlines is the I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River that is steadily climbing towards the top of the list.

This year the Yadkin River bridge is ranked as the 6th worst bridge in the state compared to being ranked 8th one year ago.

The complete list of 20 is available here (via WFMY-TV).

The #1 least sufficient bridge in the state remains the I-40/Business 85 bridge over South Buffalo Creek near Greensboro. Most of the bridges on the list were built between 1950 and 1969. The two youngest bridges on the list -- a bridge carrying I-277 over Johnson Street and the SCLRR in Charlotte (#2 on the list) and the bridge that carries US 52 over SR 4315 in Winston-Salem (#14) -- were built in 1971.

The oldest bridge on the list was built in 1943. It carries US 17 Business over the New River in Jacksonville. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced this year.

Additional Stories:
Guilford County Bridge Tops AAA Substandard List ---WFMY-TV
I-85 bridge No. 6 on list of state's worst ---Salisbury Post
85/Yadkin River Bridge dubbed one of the state's worst ---WBTV-TV

Comments

The 1915-era Teilman Bridge (the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge in California)

The Teilman Bridge is a semi-abandoned structure over Fresno Slough west of Burrell siding near the intersection of Elkhorn Avenue and Elkhorn Grade. This structure is the only known Concrete Pony Truss Bridge constructed in California and was designed by Ingvart Teilman. Teilman's Bridge would open in late 1915 when the Elkhorn Grade was the primary road between Fresno and Coalinga. The structure would be replaced in 1991 but was left standing as it carries pipelines over Fresno Slough. Part 1; the history of the Teilman Bridge In the early Twentieth Century the most direct highway between Fresno and Coalinga followed the Elkhorn Grade. The Elkhorn Grade began at Fresno Slough a short distance west of Burrell siding. From Fresno Slough the Elkhorn Grade followed a generally southwestern course through San Joaquin Valley into the Kettleman Hills towards Coalinga. The Elkhorn Grade can be seen on the 1914 C.F. Weber map of Fresno Coun...

The Dummy Lights of New York

A relic of the early days of motoring, dummy lights were traffic lights that were placed in the middle of a street intersection. In those early days, traffic shuffled through busy intersections with the help of a police officer who stood on top of a pedestal. As technology improved and electric traffic signals became commonplace, they were also originally positioned on a platform at the center of the intersection. Those traffic signals became known as " dummy lights " and were common until traffic lights were moved onto wires and poles that crossed above the intersection. In New York State, only a handful of these dummy lights exist. The dummy lights are found in the Hudson Valley towns of Beacon and Croton-on-Hudson, plus there is an ongoing tug of war in Canajoharie in the Mohawk Valley, where their dummy light has been knocked down and replaced a few times. The dummy light in Canajoharie is currently...

Prunedale Road (Monterey County)

Prunedale Road is a short 2.6-mile-long frontage corridor of US Route 101 in the namesake Monterey County community of Prunedale. Prior to 1932 US Route 101 bypassed Prunedale in favor of the San Juan Grade to the east. Prunedale Road along with nearby Moro Road served as an alternative connecting highway between Salinas and San Juan Bautista. Following the realignment of US Route 101 onto the Prunedale Cutoff the former through route along Prunedale Road would be rendered as a western frontage. Part 1; the history of Prunedale Road Prunedale Road is located in and is named after the Monterey County community of Prunedale. Said community was founded near the junction of San Migeul Canyon, Langley Canyon and Echo Valley. Watsonville settler Charles Langley (namesake of Langley Canyon) was one of the prominent early community settlers. The Prunedale Post Office would open for the first time in 1894 but would close by 1908. Early agricu...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog