Kentucky Route 2014 Bridge, Spanning Cumberland River on Kentucky Route 2014, Pineville

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER KY,7-PINVI,2-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Jayne C. Henderson Kentucky Route Bridge HAER No. (Page 2) The Kentucky Route Bridge over the Cumberland River in Bell County is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. It crosses the river about 0.7 mile east of the Knox County line. The bridge is located approximately 3 miles west of Pineville and approximately 12 miles east of Barbourville. The Cumberland River is part of a major drainage basin in southern Kentucky. The Kentucky Route Bridge is a single span Warren through truss with a span length of 208 feet. Three I-beam spans, each approximately 30 feet in length, support the southern approach roadway. The northern approach is supported by two similar I-beam spans.

Interior horizontal clearance is 15 feet, and vertical clearance over the deck is 22 feet 6 inches. Total length of the bridge, including approach spans, is 328 feet. The current (May 1, structural and appraisal (SIA) rating of the existing bridge is out of a possible 100 points, and the bridge is posted for a weight limit of 15 tons. According to information stamped on the bridge portal, the structure was built in by the Louisville Bridge and Iron Company of Louisville, Kentucky. Iron Phoenix columns used in construction of the bridge were provided by the Phoenix Iron Company of Philadelphia and were patented in The Kentucky Route Bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places as a structure of both local and statewide importance.

The bridge gives an example of workmanship and design characteristics indicative of its time and place in history. The bridge, although in extremely poor structural condition, is a good example of an early Warren through truss in Kentucky. It has provided continuous service to a rural population for over a century. It is one of only two bridges in Kentucky constructed by the Louisville Bridge and Iron Company. Most of the 70 historic bridges contained in A Survey of Truss, Suspension, and Arch Bridges in Kentucky are metal trusses which represent variations of the two most popular forms of truss, Pratt and Warren. Pratt trusses represented approximately 31 percent of the total 651 bridges surveyed for historical significance.

The Warren truss was the second most common type, representing approximately 17 percent. Widespread bridge construction in Kentucky began in the last part of the century. It was during this time that the Pratt and Warren trusses accounted for the majority of bridge design. Thus, the Kentucky Route Bridge represents a very early example of Warren construction. The unique top chord on the Kentucky Route Bridge are sectional , eight-sided, tubular cast iron columns bolted at each panel point. The unusual floor system has pin-connected truss floor beams for lighter weight and greater strength. The bridge has eyebar diagonals and verticals that act in tension but not compression, a characteristic of some early Warren through trusses.