Pinhook Bridge — Putnam County Indiana

Pinhook Bridge in Putnam County at the west end of East County Road 125 North crossing Big Walnut Creek. At the west end of this bridge, you’ll find East County Road 100 North, which is now abandoned and overgrown (and probably still owned by Putnam County). This is a metal, 10 panel pin-connected, Pratt Through Truss bridge Built by Vincennes bridge company in 1913 with a span of 160 feet. (Rehabilitation date 1984.) This bridge needs some love. This bridge is abandoned and the county has no plans to reopen the bridge according to the recent historic bridge inventory. The bridge is in a condition however where it could be restored for pedestrian use, either in place or in a new location. Action should be taken sooner rather than later, because the bridge exhibits some unusual deterioration that would be easier to correct now rather than later. Rather that displaying uniform deterioration on similar parts of the bridge, there is quite a contrast. Some of the bottom chord connections are in fantastic condition with very little section loss of the eyebars. Other connections display significant section loss. This deterioration could easily be fixed as part of a comprehensive restoration that might include the careful dismantling of the bridge with restoration of the bridge parts in a shop setting. (Information and Findings From DHPA Historic Bridge Survey.)