Allen County has dozens of bridges over the three rivers and various county roads over creeks and streams. However there is the Allen County government and Fort Wayne government with legal jurisdiction over their bridges. So there are separate pages for each jurisdiction. There is more Indiana and Allen County bridge information on the entire county on the Allen County Bridges page.
Description From the Wabash Railway Views scrapbook an 1879 view of a man sitting next to a large tree on the shore of the St. Marys River. The man is looking at a covered bridge and there is an aqueduct in front of him. Terms associated with the photograph are: Fort Wayne (Ind.) | St. Marys River (Ind.) | covered bridges | aqueducts | Wabash Railroad
Description From the Wabash Railway Views scrapbook, an 1879 view of the tree-lined junction of St. Marys and St. Joseph Rivers in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Terms associated with the photograph are: Fort Wayne (Ind.) | St. Marys River (Ind.) | St. Joseph River (Ind.) | Maumee River (Ind.) | forests and fields | Wabash Railroad (Toledo, Ohio)
Bluffton Road Bridge
🌉👷Bluffton Rd Bridge Updates🏗👷‍♂️ Based on the public meeting held last night, we wanted to share the key takeaways in...
Based on the public meeting held last night, we wanted to share the key takeaways in regards to the construction that just began on the Bluffton Rd bridge.
*This federally funded project is expected to take approx 18 months to finish (completion by summer 2026).
*Half of the bridge will be replaced at a time. Construction on the south side of the bridge has already began and should last 8 or 9 months. Once complete, they will move to working on the north side (phase 2) of the bridge and divert traffic to the south side of the bridge which will take an additional 8 or 9 months. The final phase (phase 3) will include work on the trails.
* Traffic is expected to remain open (1 lane each direction) for the duration of construction EXCEPT for when the new beams are set, which will close the entire bridge for approx 1 week.
The finished product will include:
*Expanded sidewalks on both sides of the bridge with a protective barrier between vehicles and pedestrians!
*Ornamental lighting
*Improved intersection of Broadway & Bluffton Rd
*Eight overlook areas
*& a stable & safe bridge that should last for decades to come.
**Traffic signal modifications are currently being made to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible.
Additional details can be found at: Bluffton Road Bridge The Bluffton Road Bridge, which crosses the St. Mary's River, will be reconstructed to enhance travel and safety for both pedestrians and motorists.
Mechanic Street Bridge
Be sure to visit Engage Fort Wayne to learn about new projects and stay up-to-date with ongoing ones, like the...
Be sure to visit Engage Fort Wayne to learn about new projects and stay up-to-date with ongoing ones, like the restoration of the Mechanic St bridge and the rebuilding of the trestle bridge at Lawton Park.
Marti Schmuck Smith asked if I might have images of the old iron Spy Run Bridge that was replaced with a new concrete one in 1958. Here's a few. [See 1913 Flood page]
I know an aerial of this has been posted before, but its such a great moment in time shot that it bares repeating as part of this Spy Run Bridge post.
Here's a couple shots taken in 1925-26 looking north across the Spy Run Bridge. These rare images are courtesy of train/interurban historian, and pal, Craig Berndt.
Tennessee Avenue Bridge
TENNESSEE AVENUE BRIDGE Photo taken May 21, 2024 @ 4:45 a.m. The moon was soooooo bright, & lit up the sky so...
The moon was soooooo bright, & lit up the sky so PERFECTLY-- it looked like a painting, with the different hues of gray & blue, and the wispy clouds!! I think I caught it too!!
Standing NE, looking SW, over the St. Joseph River, towards Anderson Avenue...
The Tennessee Avenue Bridge was designed by:
A.W. GROSVENOR: who also designed the Columbia Street Bridge, the 4th Street Bridge (it used to have beautiful wrought iron elegant Street lamps on it, btw ), "THE" Lincoln Highway Bridge (wrongly named the Harrison Street Bridge Today), & others...
Grosvenor was considered a TOP Bridge designer of his time - That's why he was chosen to design the bridge that is the STARTING POINT of the original 1915 Lincoln Hi-way Route..... (not this bridge)....
The Tennessee River (Avenue) Bridge was dedicated in December 1912
*** best viewed in low light or the dark....
Here is a different perspective of the TENNESSEE AVENUE BRIDGE!! I took this on my short morning walk on May 12, 2024, ...
Here is a different perspective of the TENNESSEE AVENUE BRIDGE!!
I took this on my short morning walk on May 12, 2024, @ 4:45 a.m.
Looking SE, near McAfee Street, towards St. Joseph Blvd....
The Tennessee Ave Bridge was built in 1912, & it was designed by Nationally acclaimed bridge designer A.W. GROSVENOR, of Fort Wayne...
It's a VERY rare bridge, in that it is a Melan Arch Bridge (rare in the US then, & even more now!), & has a dark Flemish Bond Brick covering, with Bedford Limestone columns & accents...
Very EUROPEAN in design -- I saw similar bridges in Paris, and Amsterdam...
Here is a post I posted on my personal page... it has some historical information, that I thought you all might like....
The Tennessee Avenue Bridge is A.W. Grosvenor's oldest surviving Bridge in Fort Wayne, & other cities in the Midwest...
He was a BIG DEAL back in his day...
Some of his surviving MASTERPIECES in Fort Wayne: Columbia Street Bridge, Lincoln Highway Bridge (Harrison Street Bridge), this bridge, & the 4th Street Bridge (which used to have 2 ornate light posts on each side of it), among others....
There are various reasons why we paint bridges across the state. See if you can guess some of them before watching the video below! pic.twitter.com/WSmvDzOzF6
Significance: The Wells Street Bridge (Allen County Bridge No. 542) over the Spy Run Creek is an 88-foot long, single-span, reinforced concrete arch. The bridge appears to use the Melan system of reinforcing, a system largely abandoned by 1914. The Wells Street Bridge (Allen County Bridge No. 542) is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places based on its engineering significance at the local level.
September 20, 2024 post with photos on True Fort Wayne Indiana History on Facebook discusses the Wells Street Bridge - Spanning Spy Run Creek at Wells Street - Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana showing Library of Congress - Photos from Survey HAER IN-84. Part of a Series of 16 Photographs (Undated). Bridge Information (1914): Engineer: O. B. Wiley, Contractor: Burk Construction Company (New Castle, Indiana). At the time of construction this was Lima Road. It was built in 1914 and soon after it was part of the early state highway system of Indiana.
Social Media
Interesting comments about bridges not always in Allen County, Indiana as historical bridge stories and information of any kind can be difficult to discover.
This is a picture of the building of the bridge in Lagro over the Wabash River taken about 1965. Note the old bridge...
This is a picture of the building of the bridge in Lagro over the Wabash River taken about 1965. Note the old bridge standing in the photo. According to Jim Smith the old iron bridge "rattled and shook when all but the lightest vehicles crossed it.” The new bridge straightened the road going into Lagro quite a bit. Ed Siders recalls “Dave Stewart & I walked across the new bridge on the trusses before it was completed. Summer fun.”
On the north side of the bridge the town has improved the area with improvements to the boat landing, enhanced parking and public bathroom. At one time there was consideration given to putting up a statue of Chief Legros, just off the new hiking trail.
Long ago before the bridge, there was a feeder dam to the east of the bridge making the water so low and the bottom solid enough that people forded there. The first bridge across the river at LaGro was built by Joe Watson in 1842 and was blown from its foundation by a strong wind. The second bridge was built by J. Bratton and was also blown into the river, carrying with it a man and two horses, all escaped without injury. A third bridge was soon erected but the cover was left off. It was of the old wooden type and at either end was a sign which read “Five dollars fine for driving across this bridge faster than a slow walk.
In 1872 the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio, built a Smith’s Combination Truss bridge at LaGro at a cost of $6,960. The bridge consisted of two spans 145 feet each “16 feet high, twenty feet out to out...floor beams 2 ½ to 12 inches, floor planks 2 ½ inches thick and of the best white oak. All other timber used shall be White Pine, Norway Pine and neatly planed with 2 coats of mineral paint and oil. The bridge to have the carrying capacity of 1,000 pounds per lineal foot.”
In April of 1892 an iron bridge was begun to replace the wooden bridge. On May 6. 1892 the work on the new bridge was washed away by high waters. However, after the water went down what had been washed away was recovered and the bridge finished by July 22nd
Beef cattle and hogs came into town under their own power, hitting on all four hoofs. In bringing such herds from the south to the LaGro market the bridge presented a sort of a problem to the herd drivers. Congestion at the end of the bridge sometimes caused a stampede and some unruly animals would break ranks and use their own judgment about crossing. Many an animal ended up in the river, in the backwash below the dam rolling for hours or even an entire day.
In spring, when the rains commenced, and the river began to rise the ice would begin to break up. Picture a block of ice several miles long, bank to bank wide and twelve to fifteen inches thick beginning to break up. The middle pier of the bridge stood directly in its path. With a crunching, grinding roar, that could be heard for a mile or more, these great blocks of ice battered and battled with the pier, striking it with tremendous force, piling against it in great masses that seemed nothing could withstand. At times people were forbidden to be on the bridge lest the pier give way. But, like the Rock of Gibraltar, the old pier stood its ground.
The building on the right was the Lagro Cafe. The large brick building on the left was being remodeled. Karen Thomas Long recalls “the Lagro Cafe building was an IGA grocery store at that time. Right across the street (catacorner) from the building on the left was Cappy Bumgartner's cafe.” Sally McKenzie adds “the light colored building on right belonged to my parents, Charles and Edith Stephenson who operated a grocery store there until 1985.”
It's #waybackwednesday! Check out this image of the Clinton St. Bridge in Fort Wayne, courtesy of the Harter Postcard Collection in our Community Album.
Today, Mayor Sharon Tucker and the Vann Family announced a $5 million gift to fund the construction of a bridge that will connect two sections of the Pufferbelly Trail over Coliseum Boulevard.
This morning, Mayor Sharon Tucker, alongside Fort Wayne Trails Executive Director Kent Castleman, announced a $5M gift from the Vann Family Foundation to assist in funding a new pedestrian bridge over Coliseum Blvd. for the Pufferbelly Trail. The bridge will be known as the Vann Family Crossing.
Jim Vann was a former shareholder and chairperson of Rea Magnet Wire in Fort Wayne and has been an instrumental leader and community supporter over the years.
“My wife, Lee, loved the trails system in Fort Wayne,” said Jim Vann. “The bridge is our way of saying thank you to the late Mayor Tom Henry and Mayor Tucker, to all Rea employees, and to our citizens for creating such a special place to live and work. We are proud to call Fort Wayne our home.”
Fort Wayne Trails staff, along with city staff, worked with family representatives to make this gift a reality. James Holm, Director of Community Engagement, created a video presentation showcasing the importance of this bridge and its impact on not only Fort Wayne, but the regional trail system through the Poka-Bache Connector. The Pufferbelly is a segment of the 81-mile visionary trail being developed across four counties. To view the presentation video from November 2023, visit the Fort Wayne Trails Youtube page or view in the comments below this post.
“One of the goals of this important bridge project is to make our trails more useable as public transportation. This bridge will allow for a safe and speedy crossing over Coliseum Blvd. helping trail users to reach downtown Fort Wayne and its many destinations. Eliminating the barrier of Coliseum Blvd. for casual users as well as daily commuters is a generational move for the growth of the system.” commented Castleman. This bridge, which is a part of the section of the Pufferbelly Trail known as the Golden Spike, will connect 85 miles south of Coliseum Blvd. with 35 Miles north to create a 120 mile connected network in Allen County.
In a letter explaining the reasons for their family’s gift, Jim added, “with Rea and through the Vann Family Foundation, a steady stream of donations and strong company volunteerism was sustained in the community. The initial contribution to the Aboite Trails was through the Vann Family Foundation in 2002. The Vann Family Crossing really represents the pinnacle of our thanks to Mayor Henry, Mayor Tucker, the citizens of Fort Wayne, and the generations of Rea Magnet Wire employees. Fort Wayne Trails was one of Lee’s real passions, and we feel truly lucky…. again… to be part of building Fort Wayne’s incredible future.”
The Vann children stated that their parents’ story is just one of many, and what makes Fort Wayne so unique. They have been part of a generational “core of giving” that has been truly inspirational. Fortunately for all of us, our community’s culture of “doing good for others” is as strong as ever and will continue to be the foundation for our City’s future prosperity.
“The kind and generous gift being provided by Mr. Vann and his family is a true testament to thinking of others first and giving back for the betterment of a community,” said Mayor Tucker. “Our trails and greenways provide residents and visitors with a quality-of-life amenity that makes Fort Wayne stronger and more vibrant. This effort will leave a legacy that won’t be forgotten.”
Donor Presentation for Pufferbelly Trail - Coliseum Blvd Bridge Crossing July 18, 2024 Fort Wayne Trails on YouTube
This video was created by Fort Wayne Trails in November 2023 for use in presenting to potential donors for the bridge crossing of the Pufferbelly Trail at Coliseum Blvd. This presentation, along with conversations and planning, with the City of Fort Wayne, ultimately led to a $5M gift from The Vann Foundation facilitated by Jim Vann and family. The bridge will be named the Vann Family Crossing.
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Bluffton Rd Bridge Updates
