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Historic Context for Louisiana Bridges

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Historic Context for Louisiana Bridges Historic Context for Louisiana Bridges Louisiana Statewide Historic Bridge Inventory Prepared for Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Prepared by www.meadhunt.com December 2013 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Table of Contents Table of Contents Page Executive Summary ...................................................................................... 1 1. Project Background ............................................................................ 3 A. Research design and methods ................................................... 3 B. Purpose ...................................................................................... 6 2. Bridge-related Legislation, Policies, and Practice .......................... 9 Timeline of events ................................................................................. 9 A. Before the roads: Early water and railroad-based transportation ............................................................................ 10 B. Influence of the Good Roads Movement .................................. 11 C. Early government involvement in roads and bridges ............... 12 (1) State Highway Department and early efforts ................. 12 (2) Transcontinental highways ............................................. 14 (3) Early federal aid to roads ............................................... 14 (4) Emergence of the Louisiana Highway Commission....... 17 (a) Design role of Bridge Department ....................... 19 (b) Local bridge construction ..................................... 20 D. Huey Long’s era and the Great Depression ............................. 21 (1) Commission reorganization ............................................ 21 (a) The Long administration’s methods ..................... 23 (2) New Deal and Federal Relief Programs ........................ 24 (a) State-Federal government relationship ............... 25 (b) Bridge projects ..................................................... 26 E. Wartime planning ...................................................................... 27 (1) Federal influence ............................................................ 27 (2) State reorganization and war efforts .............................. 29 F. Postwar acceleration of road and bridge building .................... 29 (1) The Interstate Highway System ..................................... 30 (2) The Department of Highway’s postwar transformation ................................................................ 31 (3) Department of Highways bridge design ......................... 34 (4) Consultant bridge design ............................................... 35 (5) Improvement of parish roads ......................................... 35 (6) Private bridge construction ............................................. 36 G. Conclusion ................................................................................ 37 \\msn-fp01\entp\2824400\115125.01\TECH\final\120920A.doc i Table of Contents 3. Geography, Bridge Materials, and Design ..................................... 39 A. Influence of geography on bridge location, design, and construction .............................................................................. 39 (1) Geography and navigable waterways ............................ 40 (2) Soil conditions and bridge construction ......................... 41 B. Bridge-building materials .......................................................... 43 (1) Wood/timber ................................................................... 44 (2) Metal (iron and steel) ..................................................... 45 (a) Steel connection methods ................................... 46 (3) Concrete ......................................................................... 48 (a) Reinforced concrete ............................................. 49 (b) Prestressed concrete ........................................... 51 (c) Lightweight concrete ............................................ 53 C. Bridge design ............................................................................ 54 (1) Substructure design and construction ............................ 54 (a) Spread footings and mud sills ............................. 55 (b) Pile foundations ................................................... 55 (c) Caissons .............................................................. 58 (2) Superstructure design .................................................... 60 (a) Influence of national design standards ................ 60 (b) Continuous and cantilever design ....................... 62 (c) Composite deck ................................................... 63 D. Bridge types .............................................................................. 64 (1) Arch ................................................................................ 65 (a) Concrete arch ...................................................... 65 (2) Truss .............................................................................. 66 (a) Pratt ..................................................................... 68 (b) Parker .................................................................. 68 (c) Camelback ........................................................... 69 (d) Warren ................................................................. 69 (e) K-truss .................................................................. 70 (3) Movable bridges ............................................................. 72 (a) Swing-span bridges ............................................. 73 (b) Vertical lift bridges ............................................... 75 (c) Bascule bridges ................................................... 78 (d) Pontoon bridges ................................................... 81 (e) Removable-span bridges ..................................... 82 (4) Culverts .......................................................................... 83 (a) Metal .................................................................... 83 (b) Concrete .............................................................. 84 (5) Beam/girder .................................................................... 85 (a) Concrete slab ....................................................... 86 \\msn-fp01\entp\2824400\115125.01\TECH\final\120920A.doc ii Table of Contents (b) Concrete girder .................................................... 87 (c) Concrete deck girder (tee beam) ......................... 88 (d) Concrete rigid frame ............................................ 89 (e) Concrete box girder ............................................. 91 (f) Concrete channel beam ....................................... 91 (g) Steel I-beam......................................................... 92 (h) Steel plate girder .................................................. 92 (i) Timber trestles ..................................................... 93 (j) Timber mud sill .................................................... 94 E. Engineers, designers, and builders .......................................... 97 (1) Louisiana Highway Commission and Department of Highways ........................................................................ 97 (a) Norman E. Lant .................................................... 97 (b) Harry B. Henderlite .............................................. 99 (c) George F. Stevenson ......................................... 100 (d) Louis Duclos ...................................................... 101 (e) Sidney L. Poleynard ........................................... 101 (f) Albert J. Dunn .................................................... 101 (2) Consulting engineers and firms.................................... 102 (a) Modjeski and Masters ........................................ 102 (b) Harrington & Cortelyou ...................................... 103 (c) Daniel Moran and Moran and Proctor Co. ......... 103 (d) William Horace Williams Company .................... 104 (e) Ford, Bacon & Davis .......................................... 104 (f) Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff ......... 104 (g) J.B. Carter and the Nashville Bridge Company . 104 (h) Siems-Helmers, Inc. .......................................... 105 (3) Bridge builders, construction companies, and fabricators ..................................................................... 105 F. Aesthetics in bridge design ..................................................... 107 G. Conclusion .............................................................................. 111 4. Conclusion ....................................................................................... 113 Bibliography ............................................................................................... 115 \\msn-fp01\entp\2824400\115125.01\TECH\final\120920A.doc iii Table of Contents Tables 1 Historic transportation routes .......................................................... 3 2 Postwar spending trends for the state highway system ................ 32 3 Pre-1971 bridges over the Mississippi River in Louisiana with caisson construction .............................................................. 58 4 Pre-1971 bridges in Louisiana by type .......................................... 65 5 Pre-1971 movable bridges in Louisiana ........................................ 73 6 Pre-1971 culverts in Louisiana 20 feet or longer .......................... 83 7 Pre-1971 beam/girder bridges in Louisiana .................................. 85
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