Bloomington Viaduct

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Bloomington Viaduct

Bloomington Viaduct.jpg

Bloomington Viaduct in January 2014
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Location Bloomington, Maryland
Coordinates 39°28′38″N79°4′5″W / 39.47722°N 79.06806°W / 39.47722; -79.06806 Coordinates: 39°28′38″N79°4′5″W / 39.47722°N 79.06806°W / 39.47722; -79.06806
Built 1851
Architect Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Architectural style Other
NRHP reference #

76000996

[1]
Added to NRHP November 21, 1976
Bloomington Viaduct
Coordinates 39°28′38″N79°04′05″W / 39.4772°N 79.0681°W / 39.4772; -79.0681 Coordinates: 39°28′38″N79°04′05″W / 39.4772°N 79.0681°W / 39.4772; -79.0681
Carries Railroad
Crosses North Branch Potomac River
Locale Bloomington, Maryland and Mineral County, West Virginia
Maintained by CSX Transportation
Characteristics
Design Stone arch
Material Sandstone and concrete
History
Constructed by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Opened 1851

The Bloomington Viaduct spans the Northern Branch of the Potomac River connecting Bloomington, Maryland to Mineral County, West Virginia. The sandstone railroad bridge features three full center arches, each with a 56-foot (17 m) span and a 28-foot (8.5 m) rise. It is owned and operated by CSX Transportation on its Mountain Subdivision.

Potomac River river in the mid-Atlantic United States

The Potomac River is located within the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands into the Chesapeake Bay. The river is approximately 405 miles (652 km) long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles (38,000 km2). In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast of the United States and the 21st largest in the United States. Over 5 million people live within the Potomac watershed.

Bloomington, Maryland Census-designated place in Maryland, United States

Bloomington is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) at the confluence of the North Branch Potomac River and Savage River in southeastern Garrett County, Maryland, United States. It lies to the west of Luke on Maryland Route 135 and is bounded to the northwest by Savage River State Forest. As of the 2010 census the population of Bloomington was 305.

Mineral County, West Virginia County in the United States

Mineral County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,212. Its county seat is Keyser. The county was founded in 1866.

Contents

History

Stone side of the viaduct. It's visible the reinforced concrete bridge added to the original stone one. Bloomington Viaduct - stone.jpg
Stone side of the viaduct. It's visible the reinforced concrete bridge added to the original stone one.

When built in 1851, it carried a double track of the original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad main line. In 1916 the viaduct was widened to accommodate two more tracks. The addition is a Melan-type reinforced concrete bridge of identical configuration built against the south face of the original stone bridge. [2] As the state boundary follows the southern bank of the Potomac, nearly all of the bridge is located in Garrett County, Maryland.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad former rail system in the United States of America

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which would have connected Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland, with an original line built from the port of Baltimore west to Sandy Hook.

Concrete Composite construction material

Concrete, usually Portland cement concrete, is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that hardens over time—most frequently a lime-based cement binder, such as Portland cement, but sometimes with other hydraulic cements, such as a calcium aluminate cement. It is distinguished from other, non-cementitious types of concrete all binding some form of aggregate together, including asphalt concrete with a bitumen binder, which is frequently used for road surfaces, and polymer concretes that use polymers as a binder.

Garrett County, Maryland County in the United States

Garrett County (gərɛt) is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 30,097, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Oakland. The county was named for John Work Garrett (1820–1884), president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Created from Allegany County, Maryland in 1872, it was the last Maryland county to be formed.

The Bloomington Viaduct was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1976.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

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Erected 1813 by David Shriver, Jr.,
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Adair Viaduct

The Adair Viaduct is a historic structure located in Adair, Iowa, United States. It spans the Iowa Interstate Railroad tracks for 192 feet (59 m). In 1908 Adair County built the first bridge at this location over the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad tracks near the site of the 1873 Jesse James train robbery. Increased traffic by the 1920s necessitated its replacement. The Iowa State Highway Commission designed the three-span open spandrel arch bridge. The Adair County Board of Supervisors awarded the $42,263 to build the bridge to the Federal Bridge Company of Des Moines. It is somewhat unusual in Iowa in that the bridge is not symmetrical. Because it is located over a deep cut the two approach spans at 56 feet (17 m) each are shorter than the main span, which is 80 feet (24 m). The bridge was opened to traffic in June 1924. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

References

  1. National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. Ronald Andrews and Pamela James (August 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Bloomington Viaduct" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved 2016-01-01.