A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. The basic types of truss bridges shown in this article have simple designs which could be easily analyzed by 19th and early 20th-century engineers. A truss bridge is economical to construct because it uses materials efficiently.
The Bollman Truss Railroad Bridge across the Little Patuxent River at Savage, Maryland, is one of the oldest standing iron railroad bridges in the United States and the sole surviving example of a revolutionary design in the history of American bridge engineering. The 160-foot (48.8 m) double-span was built in 1852 at an unknown location on the main line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was moved 35 years later to its present location, where it replaced the very first Bollman bridge. Today, it carries the Savage Mill Trail.
The Grays River Covered Bridge is a one-lane covered bridge over the Grays River in western Wahkiakum County, Washington. It is the only covered bridge still in use as a public highway in Washington State. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is located in Bridgeport, Nevada County, California, southwest of French Corral and north of Lake Wildwood. It is used as a pedestrian crossing over the South Yuba River. The bridge was built in 1862 by David John Wood. Its lumber came from Plum Valley in Sierra County, California. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1972 and pedestrian traffic in 2011 due to deferred maintenance and "structural problems".
The I Street Bridge is a historic metal truss swing bridge which crosses the Sacramento River to link the capital city of Sacramento, California, with Yolo County to the west. Built in 1911, this historic bridge has a vertical clearance of 14 feet 8 inches (4.47 m) and was originally part of State Route 16. It also carries two walkways; one on either side of the roadway.
19th Street Bridge is a two-span through Pratt truss road bridge in Denver, Colorado, over the South Platte River, now used for pedestrians. It was built in 1888 to replace a wooden structure and carried automobile traffic until 1986. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Shaw Bridge, also known as Double-Span Whipple Bowstring Truss Bridge, is a historic bridge in Claverack, New York, United States. It carried Van Wyck Lane over Claverack Creek, but is now closed to all traffic, even pedestrians. It is "a structure of outstanding importance to the history of American engineering and transportation technology." Specifically designed by John D. Hutchinson, the bridge employs the basic design of Squire Whipple. It is the only extant double-span Whipple bowstring truss bridge in the U.S.
The Bath Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge over the Ammonoosuc River off US 302 and NH 10 in Bath, New Hampshire. Built in 1832, it is one of the state's oldest surviving covered bridges. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and underwent a major rehabilitation in the 2010s.
The Jefferson Street Viaduct is an historic structure located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. The riveted Warren deck truss bridge was completed in 1936. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of the Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS.
The AJX Bridge is a historic Pratt truss bridge in southwestern Johnson County, Wyoming. The bridge was built in 1931 across the South Fork of the Powder River near Kaycee, Wyoming. AJX Bridge was built to provide a river crossing for U.S. Route 87. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as part of a Multiple Property Submission devoted to historic bridges in Wyoming.
The Pineground Bridge, also known as the Depot Road Bridge or the Thunder Bridge, is a through-type lenticular truss bridge that formerly carried Depot Road over the Suncook River in Chichester, New Hampshire. The bridge was built in 1887 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Co., and is the only one of its type in the state. It is 96 feet (29 m) long and 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and rises 15 feet (4.6 m) above the river. It is mounted on abutments made of unmortarted ashlar granite. The decking and rails are made of wood. The bridge has not undergone major alterations since its construction. Some of its stringers were replaced during the 1981-2 restoration, wooden parts were also replaced, and a number of decorative parts have been lost over the years.
The Bloomfield-Nulhegan River Route 102 Bridge is a historic bridge in Bloomfield, Vermont. It carries Vermont Route 102 over the Nulhegan River, near its mouth at the Connecticut River just south of Bloomfield Village. Built in 1937, it is a well-preserved example of a Pratt through truss, exhibiting then state-of-the-art engineering. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
The Gilead Brook Bridge is a historic bridge which carries Vermont Route 12 across Gilead Brook north of the center of Bethel, Vermont. Built in 1928, it is one of four multi-span Warren deck truss bridges built in the state after extensive flooding in 1927. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The California Powder Works Bridge is a historic covered bridge in Santa Cruz, California. It is a Smith truss bridge, built across the San Lorenzo River in 1872 by the California Powder Works, an explosives manufacturer whose factory complex stood on the river banks. The bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2015 as one of the best-preserved national examples of the Smith truss. It is owned and maintained by the Paradise Park Masonic Club, and is open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, with a posted weight limit of 5 tons.
The Cold River Bridge was a historic bridge that carried Vermont Route 7B (VT 7B) across the Cold River in Clarendon, Vermont. The bridge, a steel Parker through truss, was built by the American Bridge Company in 1928, and was one of many bridges built in the state in the wake of devastating 1927 floods. It carried U.S. Route 7 (US 7) until bypassed by a bridge to the east, and was closed in 1989. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It was subsequently demolished after a report noting substantial failures.
The Lincoln Covered Bridge is a historic covered bridge, just south of U.S. Route 4 in West Woodstock, Vermont. Built in 1877, it is one of the only known examples of a wooden Pratt truss bridge in the United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The Quechee Gorge Bridge is a historic bridge, carrying U.S. Route 4 (US 4) across Quechee Gorge, near the Quechee village of Hartford, Vermont. Built in 1911, it is Vermont's oldest surviving steel arch bridge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The Holmes Street Bridge, also known the Holmes Street Pedestrian Bridge, Old Shakopee Bridge, or Bridge 4175, is a historic truss bridge over the Minnesota River in Shakopee, Minnesota, United States. It is one of the state's only examples of a deck truss bridge. It was constructed in 1927 with parts manufactured by the Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company. The bridge formerly carried US 169 and MN 101, and served as the principal river crossing for Shakopee. The Holmes Street Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 2005. It was rehabilitated in 2011 to carry a trail for pedestrians, cross-country skiers, and snowmobiles.
The Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge is a through truss bridge spanning the Colorado River in Yuma, Arizona. Built in 1915, it was the first highway crossing of the lower Colorado and is the earliest example of a through truss bridge in Arizona. It is also the only example of a Pennsylvania truss within Arizona. Originally the bridge carried the transcontinental Ocean-to-Ocean Highway and later carried its successor, US 80 until a new bridge was built to the west in 1956. Between 1988 and 2001, the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic and only traversable by pedestrians and bicyclists. After a major restoration, the bridge was rehabilitated and reopened to vehicular traffic in 2002, with a re-dedication by the Quechan nation and Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. The bridge became part of Historic US 80 in 2018.
The Jeffersonville Bridge is a steel girder bridge carrying Vermont Route 108 across the Lamoille River, just north of the village of Jeffersonville, Vermont. It was built in 2014, replacing a Parker through truss bridge built in 1931; the latter bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
