B-09-497
WisDOT Designation: Local – County-owned
Current Owner: Chippewa County
Year Built: 1938-39
County: Chippewa County
Crossing: Yellow River
Bridge Category: Riveted, Warren overhead
Spans and Type: 1 span, overhead truss
Overall Length and Width: 150 feet x 25 feet
National Register of Historic Places Status: Determined Eligible for listing in the National Register
Details
The truss span is formed by a top chord with five slopes. This polygonal-shaped geometry is known as the camelback variation. The bridge includes a 24-foot-wide roadway. The seven-inch cast-in-place concrete deck has been overlayed with asphalt and has concrete curbs. The deck rests on seven I-beam stringers supported by concrete abutments. The stringers are intersected by nine floor beams and laterally braced with cross-bracing that is riveted to the bottom chord. The bottom chord is built of back-to-back channels riveted with batten plates. The top chord has inclined end posts and is constructed of two channels with a top plate and underside V-lacing. The top chords are connected with lateral cross-bracing. There are lateral struts with sway bracing connected to the second and fourth vertical members. The portals are constructed of I-beams and crossing-bracing connected by gusset plates.
History
The Town of Anson was first surveyed in 1849, shortly after the organization of Chippewa County in 1845. The area consisted of pine forests and included parts of the Chippewa and Yellow rivers and their many tributaries, and the soil was suitable for farming. Thus, Anson was settled by farmers and lumber companies. Around the turn of the century, a road was constructed through the southwest quarter of Section 32 over the Yellow River. A bridge was presumably constructed to carry the road over the Yellow River.
Beginning in the 1920s, land formerly belonging to the Chippewa Lumber and Boom Company was purchased by Anson and Cadott residents for the construction of lakeside cottages. Local storeowner Robert Buckley purchased a portion of land just northwest of the Yellow River crossing, and the bridge subsequently became known as Buckley Bridge.
In April 1938, Buckley Bridge was damaged when it was struck by an oil truck. Due to the damage, state highway engineers advised county officials that the bridge’s load would need to be reduced from five tons to three tons. In response, the county decided to construct a new bridge at the location, at an estimated cost of $30,000. Work began on the bridge in September 1938, the deck was laid in January 1939 and the bridge was opened to traffic in February 1939.