Photos
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Long View Of Bridge, Looking South Photo taken by Martin Stupich, June 25, 1987 for HAER |
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Elevation, Looking West Photo taken by Martin Stupich, June 25, 1987 for HAER |
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View Of Bridge From Mid-Deck, Looking West Photo taken by Martin Stupich, June 25, 1987 for HAER |
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Oblique View Of Bridge, Looking West Photo taken by Martin Stupich, June 25, 1987 for HAER |
Significance of the Cobban Bridge
Written by Diane Kromm, Wisconsin Historic Bridges Recording Project, Summmer 1987The Modern Steel Structures Company of Waukesha constructed the Yellow River Bridge across the Chippewa River in 1908. The firm, incorporated in 1900, developed the most modern and complete steel structural plant in the West. Between 1916 and 1918, the Wisconsin-Minnesota Power & Light Company built a hydroelectric dam four miles downstream from the bridge, putting the site under water. The townships of Eagle Point and Arthur arranged to have the 486-foot span dismantled and re-erected 15 miles upstream near the village of Cobban. The Cast Stone Construction Company, in Eau Claire, installed the new concrete substructure. Crombley and Thailacker, a Milwaukee bridge-building firm, apparently erected the steel work. The Yellow River Bridge is the oldest of four Pennsylvania truss bridges remaining in Wisconsin.
Facts
- Overview
- Pennsylvania through truss bridge over Chippewa River on CTH T
- Location
- Cobban, Chippewa County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built in 1908; Moved 15 miles upriver to avoid inundation, 1918-19; rehabilitated 1995
- Builder
- - Modern Steel Structures Co.
- Design
- Two span, pin-connected Pennsylvania steel overhead truss. The two spans are identical.
NOTE: With the destruction of the remaining Pennsylvania truss bridges in Wisconsin, these spans are the last surviving Pennsylvania truss spans in the state.
- Dimensions
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Length of largest span: 241.2 ft.
Total length: 486.5 ft.
Deck width: 16 ft.
Vertical clearance above deck: 12.3 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Also called
- Yellow River Bridge
Chippewa River Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +45.10707, -91.20855 (decimal degrees)
45°06'25" N, 91°12'31" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/640930/4996405 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Crescent UTM 15.640910.4996170
- Inventory number
- BH 34696 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
- Inspection (as of 10/2006)
- Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 31.1 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2005)
- 160
Update Log
- August 4, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning
- August 3, 2008: Essay added by James Baughn
- August 3, 2008: Essay added by J.R. Manning
Sources
- James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
- James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
- James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Chippewa County Tourism Site - The Cobban Bridge is the subject of this page, it sheds more light on the last Pennsylvania Truss bridge in Wisconsin.