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The
Putnam Street Bridge, also known as the
Marietta Bridge, is a historical United States river crossing that connects
Marietta, OhioMarietta is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Washington County. The municipality is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum River with the Ohio River. The population was 14,515 at the 2000 census...
with its Fort Harmar district. The original 1880 bridge was the first free crossing of the
Muskingum RiverThe Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
. The 1913 bridge was a contributing structure to the Harmar Historic District. The bridge crosses the Muskingum, just above its confluence with the
Ohio RiverThe Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. It is approximately 981 miles long and is located in the eastern United States....
.
History
The original bridge was constructed in 1880. It had two swing spans as the
lockA lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber whose water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is the...
of a nearby dam was in the process of being moved from the west to east side. That bridge was wrecked by the 1884 flood. A second bridge was built on the same piers, also with two swing spans. An increase in traffic necessitated a new bridge in 1900, which was built on 4 new stone piers with a single swing section. That bridge was swept away in the Ohio flood of 1913.
In 1913-4 a new bridge was built on the same piers and abutments, but was raised up to reduce the risk of further flood damage. The bridge was built by the Nelson-Merydith Company of Marietta. In 1951, the timber deck was replaced by concrete. In 1972 the timber sidewalks were replaced and repairs were made to the structure. In 1993 structural reinforcements were added. On 27 April 2000, this span was demolished using 400 linear shaped charges.
In 1999 a new bridge was constructed just down stream of the 1880 crossing. The new bridge is the first in Ohio to use the cast-in-place reinforced concrete box with the balanced
cantileverA cantilever is a beam supported on only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
method of construction. The new bridge, while of a new design, incorporates architectural details of the older bridge. The new bridge cost US$11.4 million.
Significance
The bridge connects the Hamar and Marietta Historic Districts and the 1913 bridge was a contributing structure of the former. The bridge was the primary crossing of the Muskingum until 1953 (when the Washington Street Bridge opened).
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