Photos
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South Face Note the plate girder supporting the approach on the east end of the bridge. There is an identical structure on the west end, below the camera position. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The End of the Sidewalk The parapet walls are neoclassical in design. (That means it has urns for balustrades.) Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The deck, looking northeast Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The North Face Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The balustrade seems to have a problem This particular example demonstrates both how the neoclassical balustrade is constructed and why it fails. A single rod acts as support, however, when the balustrade is damaged and the rod is exposed to the elements, it will rust and ultimately fail. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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Historical Plaque The Cole family was quite prominant in Watertown history. None of his descendents live there now but family reunions are sometimes held there. Upon John Cole's death, he bequeathed his property to the city to be used to build a library, a rest home and park land. There was enough money left in the estate in 1931 to build this bridge. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The deck and north parapet wall Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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Oblique View Looking west. Note the plate girder stringer that supports the west approach to the arch span. This mirrors the approach on the east end. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The West Approach Supports It also supports the sidewalks. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The South Side Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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The Southeast Quadrant This marks the end of the south parapet wall and railing. In old photos of Watertown, there is evidence that there used to be a building here. Now there is a boardwalk that runs along the east shore of the river.
The plate girder that supports the east approach is clearly visible beneath the sidewalk. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
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Decorative Light Standard There are 8 of these fixtures on the bridge. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008 |
Facts
- Overview
- Concrete arch bridge over Rock River on Main Street (WI 19) in Watertown
- Location
- Jefferson County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built 1931; rehabilitated 1981
- Design
- Arch
- Dimensions
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Length of largest span: 105.6 ft.
Total length: 196.9 ft.
Deck width: 42.0 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +43.19500, -88.72667 (decimal degrees)
43°11'42" N, 88°43'36" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/359706/4783916 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Watertown
- Inventory number
- BH 34734 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
- Inspection (as of 08/2006)
- Deck condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 61.9 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2005)
- 14,280