I thought for sure this bridge was a goner after a too-large tractor left it a twisted wreck. But this 1892 Pratt through truss bridge on Holliday Road in Boone County, Indiana, was rebuilt and it looks as good as ever. It had previously been restored in 2007-2009, making this its second restoration in about a decade.

Holliday Road Bridge

Holliday Road is closed to vehicular traffic right now for construction of some sort of development nearby. I reached it on my bicycle using the Turkey Foot Trail, which ends at Holliday Road within sight of the bridge. Here now, a bunch of photos of the bridge in all its bright red glory.

Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge
Holliday Road Bridge

Holliday Road itself is a narrow gravel road that got very little use before it was closed. It was, however, wide enough that two oncoming cars didn’t have to play chicken. Today it’s quite overgrown, especially near the bridge.

Holliday Road disappearing
Holliday Road

I made these photos with an Olympus OM-4T SLR and a 40mm f/2 Zuiko Auto-S lens on Fujicolor 200.

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Comments

16 responses to “Re-restored: 1892 Holliday Road bridge”

  1. J P Avatar

    I’ll bet the trucking company’s insurer paid an impressive amount for this. And I wonder if replacing this one might have been less expensive than removing it and building a modern one from scratch.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      It was a farm tractor with a too-large attachment that did the damage — so some farmer’s insurance paid big!

      I suspect that someone who lives near the bridge has the clout and the means to see that this bridge got re-restored, cost be damned.

  2. […] Re-restored: 1892 Holliday Road bridge — Down the Road […]

  3. tcshideler Avatar

    I found out long ago it’s a long way down the holiday road. Especially if you’re driving a semi tractor.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      That tractor sure found that it was a long way down when he crossed that bridge…

  4. Marc Beebe Avatar

    Is it telling that the bridge stood for so long, then needed rebuilding twice in one decade?
    Anyway the bright red is much more cheerful than the dull green these superstructure bridges usually are. I like it. The curved approach view, middle shadow shot, and bicycle image are great photos in themselves.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      The first restoration was because of decades of deterioration. Bridges do deteriorate! The second was because of someone’s poor judgment.

      This bridge was painted red last time, too. In Indiana, remaining truss bridges on state highways are slowly all being repainted light blue.

  5. Darts and Letters Avatar
    Darts and Letters

    The pictures of the tractor in that 2017 post are stunning. What an awful miscalculation! It’s good to see the bridge restored, here. Love the red, I hope it fades well. We have giant shipping container cranes in Seattle that historically have been painted burnt orange, a striking contrast against the blue of the harbor but now the past few years the cranes are gradually being repainted in less vibrant white or baby blue .

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      The last time they restored it the red did hold its color pretty well.

      It’s really hard to fathom anyone driving a giant piece of farm equipment and thinking, “Oh, yeah, I can get this giant, heavy thing through that little 100-year-old bridge.”

  6. bodegabayf2 Avatar

    Since this road is no longer used for vehicular traffic, are there plans to make this a trail or bikeway? Seems too nice a bridge to be just sitting out there alone.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      There’s some sort of development going in near the bridge. I am under the impression that the road will reopen after that. But frankly, I can’t see why. This road is in no way a critical link, there are plenty of other ways to get where this road leads. I say keep the bridge closed.

  7. Kurt Ingham Avatar

    Beauty!

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Truly.

  8. brandib1977 Avatar

    Nice! Gotta love a red bridge AND a restoration sorry.

    1. Jim Grey Avatar

      Yeah, not too many red bridges out there!

      1. brandib1977 Avatar

        There really aren’t. You occasionally see a covered bridge in red but not this style.

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