Photos 

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South Face

Note the plate girder supporting the approach on the east end of the bridge. There is an identical structure on the west end, below the camera position.

More photos to follow shortly.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The End of the Sidewalk

The parapet walls are neoclassical in design. (That means it has urns for balustrades.)

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The deck, looking northeast

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The North Face

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The balustrade seems to have a problem

This particular example demonstrates both how the neoclassical balustrade is constructed and why it fails. A single rod acts as support, however, when the balustrade is damaged and the rod is exposed to the elements, it will rust and ultimately fail.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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Historical Plaque

The Cole family was quite prominant in Watertown history. None of his descendents live there now but family reunions are sometimes held there. Upon John Cole's death, he bequeathed his property to the city to be used to build a library, a rest home and park land. There was enough money left in the estate in 1931 to build this bridge.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The deck and north parapet wall

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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Oblique View

Looking west. Note the plate girder stringer that supports the west approach to the arch span. This mirrors the approach on the east end.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The West Approach Supports

It also supports the sidewalks.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The South Side

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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The Southeast Quadrant

This marks the end of the south parapet wall and railing. In old photos of Watertown, there is evidence that there used to be a building here. Now there is a boardwalk that runs along the east shore of the river.

The plate girder that supports the east approach is clearly visible beneath the sidewalk.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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Decorative Light Standard

There are 8 of these fixtures on the bridge.

Photo taken by J.R. Manning in August 2008

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Map 

Vicinity Map

Vicinity map

Map links:

Facts 

Overview
Concrete arch bridge over Rock River on Main Street (WI 19) in Watertown
Location
Jefferson County, Wisconsin
Status
Open to traffic
History
Built 1931; rehabilitated 1981
Design
Arch
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 105.6 ft.
Total length: 196.9 ft.
Deck width: 42.0 ft.
Recognition
Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
Approximate latitude, longitude
+43.19500, -88.72667   (decimal degrees)
43°11'42" N, 88°43'36" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/359706/4783916 (zone/easting/northing)
USGS topographic map
Watertown
Inventory number
BH 34734 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection (as of 08/2006)
Deck condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Satisfactory (6 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 61.9 (out of 100)
Average daily traffic (as of 2005)
14,280

Categories 

Arch (7,665)
Built 1931 (429)
Built during 1930s (5,951)
Deck arch (6,749)
Jefferson County, Wisconsin (5)
NR-eligible (2,577)
Open (21,980)
Owned by city (1,996)
Rock River (11)
Skewed (3,683)
Span length 100-125 feet (2,303)
Structurally deficient (12,026)
Total length 175-250 feet (1,855)
Wisconsin (464)

Update Log 

Sources 

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