Unless you kayak to work, it’s unusual to get to look at a bridge from underneath. But the Twyckenham Drive bridge in South Bend includes spans over not only the St. Joseph River, but bordering Northside Boulevard as well.
Built in 1929, this four-span open-spandrel concrete-arch bridge is one of South Bend’s many lovely bridges. Since I last photographed it, it underwent a restoration to replace the deck, repair piers and beams, and replace an aluminum railing with a period-correct concrete railing.
I was in town with my Minolta SR-T 101, on which was mounted a 50mm f/1.7 MC Rokkor-PF lens and in which was loaded Ferrania P30 Alpha film. I walked under the arches on Northside Boulevard and tried to find some interesting perspectives.
As you can see, the Twyckenham Drive bridge’s arches are interesting underneath because of their design. A solid arch would not offer so much to see.
I think I need more practice here. There have got to be some truly lovely patterns in this design. I just didn’t fully find them. But I enjoyed trying.
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