Freese Road Bridge
NBI Information
Location
State: New York
County: Tompkins County
Feature Carried: Freese Road
Feature Crossed: Fall Creek
Latitude, Longitude: 42.4569, -76.4385
Toll: On free road
Maintenance Responsibility: County Highway Agency
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Bridge closed to all traffic
History
Year Built: 1920
Historical Significance: Bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Year Reconstructed: 1952
Picture Date: April 7, 2024
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 1
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 2
Main Structure Type: Truss - Thru
Main Structure Material: Steel
Number of Approach Spans: 0
Approach Structure Type: None
Approach Structure Material: None
Condition
Inspection Date: November 2022
Deck Condition: Fair
Superstructure Condition: Satisfactory
Substructure Condition: Poor
Channel Condition: Fair
Culvert: Not Applicable
NBI Year: 2023
Bridge Information
The original Freese Road Bridge was built in 1887 and was destroyed in a flood in 1922. At that point, the 1882 Sherwood Mills Bridge, which was sitting a few miles upstream, was moved to this site. The date that the NBI gives is the relocation date, not the original construction date. The new bridge is a Pratt pony truss and is an extremely rare example of a pin-connected continuous two-span bridge. It is said to be one of the last two-span, pin-connected Pratt pony truss bridges left in America. Most pin-connected bridges were built as simple spans.
This bridge was closed on December 10, 2021, due to safety concerns. The Town of Dryden tried to sell the historic bridge, but they did not receive any offers. They have ultimately decided to replace the bridge with a steel girder bridge, but the historic trusses will be added to the fascia to keep the current look. It will still be a one-lane bridge, but will have a wide sidewalk. The new bridge is currently in design, with construction anticipated to start in 2025.
References
Historic Bridges: https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=newyork/freese/
Dryden NY: https://dryden.ny.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/5.l-PIN-3756.41_FINDING-DOCUMENT_Draft-6-13-19-ID-1781358.pdf
The Ithaca Voice: https://ithacavoice.org/2023/05/town-of-dryden-moves-forward-with-freese-road-bridge-replacement-plans/
