1928 Bridge Between Hurt and Altavista

1928 Bridge Between Hurt and Altavista. . , In August 1928, T. A. Loving and Son, of Goldsboro, North Carolina, began construction on a new bridge to cross the Staunton River and pass over the Virginian Railway. In an area that had been prone to wash-outs since the 1870s, the new bridge promised to bring better connections between Hurt and Altavista by combining concrete footings with riveted steel trestles. The steel and concrete bridge featured trusses with rivets throughout. The trusses follow a triangular support system known as a “Warren truss.” Patented by James Warren and Willoughby Monzani in 1848, this British truss form spread to the United States and was particularly popular from 1900 through the 1920s as improvements in riveting and steel made their construction more viable. , C. M. Clay, Engineer, directed the bridge construction in 1928 and 1929. The Altavista Journal, founded in 1910, chronicled the bridge's construction and communications from the State Highway Commission. The newspaper reported that concrete work began the week of August 12, 1928, and an estimated 150 men were employed at the height of its construction. , The plans for the bridge were adjusted after storm flooding occurred during construction. While the original plans called for two bridges connected by fill, the fill was abandoned in favor of a roadway supported by concrete footers from the edge of the Staunton River to Altavista's Main Street. Fabricated steel for the trusses arrived in five cars during the final week of November 1928, as the concrete work had progressed rapidly throughout the late summer and fall. The bridge was completed in 1929. A pedestrian walkway was added in 1948. , Railroad Bridges , Immediately west of the U.S. Business 29 Staunton River crossing is a Pratt truss bridge that carries the Norfolk Southern Railway between Hurt and Altavista. Continuing west on the Staunton River, the Virginia Bridge and Iron Company of Roanoke, Virginia constructed a plate girder bridge that once carried the Virginian Railway along its east-west route. , East of the current trestle and road bridge for U.S. Business 29, there is an abandoned railroad bed and concrete pads for a second Southern Railway bridge that was demolished in 1983.