Case Study #4: Pine Creek Park Bridge,
Fairfield
(click on image for larger view)
Bridge: Wrought-iron pony truss built c. 1870
Problem: Inadequate load-bearing capacity
Solution: Relocation to non-vehicular crossing
This bridge formerly carried Mill Hill Road in Fairfield over Metro North's railroad tracks. In 1979, the State of Connecticut undertook the improvement of the crossing as part of a program to repair or replace structurally deficient town bridges that crossed rail lines. It was considered impractical to repair archaic trusses such as this one.
In order to expedite the bridge's replacement, the Town of Fairfield offered a relocation site about one and one half miles away. The bridge was moved intact as part of the construction contract for the new structure.
Since the bridge was primarily significant for its intrinsic technology and had been moved once already, relocation in no way reduced its historical value. To the contrary, relocation made the bridge more accessible, and removal of the railroad's protective fencing allowed a better view of its details. The bridge is functional (it carries a nature trail across a flood channel of Pine Creek), and in the years ahead, the bridge will be a link between two parks still under development.
An unanticipated benefit of relocating the bridge is a better appreciation of its historical significance. Further research has shown the bridge to be about twenty years older, and much rarer as a type, than was thought at the time.