Harahan Bridge
This narrow point on the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN features three lovely crossings: The Frisco Bridge (1892), the Harahan Bridge (1916), and the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge (1949).
The Harahan Bridge is a cantilevered through truss bridge constructed by the Arkansas & Memphis Railway Bridge & Terminal Company under the supervision of famed consulting engineer Ralph Modjeski. Its total length of 4,973 feet includes an asymmetric collection of cantilevered, suspended, semi-suspended, and deck truss spans - the longest of which is the western-most span of 791 feet. It was originally named the Rock Island Bridge, but was subsequently renamed for Memphis businessman J.T. Harahan, who was president of the firm that built the bridge and who was killed in a 1912 train wreck.
A distinctive feature of some early-20th-century Mississippi river crossings is the addition of two single-lane motor vehicle roadways along the sides of the bridge. The wooden-planked roads were apparently a terrifying travel experience and they were prone to fires started by sparks from passing locomotives. The Harahan was the primary vehicular bridge in this area until the neighboring Memphis-Arkansas bridge opened in 1949. As of this writing in 2011, there are plans to recover the roadway as a recreational pedestrian trail.
In contrast to the largely rebuilt Eastern roadway approach, the remnants of the Western roadway approach are fairly readily accessible (albeit overgrown) from exit #1 down Dacus Lake Road (the local road signs call it Eddie Garey Road).
I had noticed the remnants of the abandoned roadways numerous times when passing through Memphis on I-55, but had never had the time to explore further.
In the summer of 2011 I had the time...
View from the north
View from the north
Eastern abutment
Eastern abutment
Eastern abutment
Dedication plaque
2nd Dedication plaque
Pier #4
Under the northern roadway on the East bank
Pier #4
Looking south at the Frisco and Memphis-Arkansas bridges
Under the northern roadway on the East bank
Under the northern roadway on the East bank
View from the Eastern shore at piers #1 - #3
View from the Eastern shore
Harahan Bridge
First Unitarian Church
Eastern abutment over the Church
First Unitarian Church
Eastern abutment over the Church
Underpass under East approach
Three bridges viewed from the southeast on I-55
Abandoned hotel on the Eastern shore
Active hotel on the Eastern shore south of the Bridge
Memphis-Arkansas Bridge
Memphis-Arkansas Bridge sign on Western shore
Dacus Lake Road
Abandoned western roadway approach
Western roadway approach
Train crossing the Frisco Bridge
Western roadway approach
Western roadway approach
Western roadway approach
Western roadway approach
Approach interface with southern deck
Southern roadway deck
Southern roadway deck
Roadway deck and Frisco Bridge viewed from the North
Northern roadway deck over Dacus Lake Road
Frisco bridge headed East
Southern roadway deck
Southern roadway deck headed east up the bridge
Southern roadway deck headed east up the bridge
Cross trusses
Under the southern roadway
Under the southern roadway deck
Northern roadway deck headed East
Northern roadway deck
Frisco bridge crossing the Western approach
No dumping
Service road up to approach
Gate to approach
West abutment of the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge
West approach
Looking East from the West approach
Southern roadway headed East
Remnants of wooden plank deck
Southern roadway headed East
Railing on Northern roadway
Southern roadway headed East
Western approach deck under the Frisco Bridge
Western approach railing
Staged maintenance materials
Frisco Bridge West abutment
1930 - reconstructed abutment?
Western approach railing - who is drying their mat?
Frisco Bridge West abutment
Frisco Bridge headed East
Sest approach looking south
Decapitated light post
Western approach railing
Western approach railing
Western approach
Under the Memphis-Arkansas West approach
Western roadway approach
Under the Memphis-Arkansas West approach
Eddie Garey Road?
Western roadway approach
Western roadway approach
Western roadway approach
Under the Western roadway approach - concrete looks amazingly fresh
Under the Western roadway approach
Under the Western roadway approach
Under the Western roadway approach
Southern roadway West abutment
Southern roadway West abutment
Southern roadway West abutment
Southern roadway
Southern roadway
Southern roadway
Southern roadway
Southern roadway
Southern roadway
Memphis-Arkansas Bridge headed back to Tennessee
Memphis-Arkansas Bridge