The Langdon Street Bridge was built in 1928, after the Flood of 1927, as part of the massive statewide effort to replace damaged and destroyed structures. The bridge is one of the standardized designs used during this reconstruction era which enabled a very efficient replacement process through mass production. It is generally known as a Warren type pony truss with curved top chords.
Correcting the Flawed Structure
The bridge has served the City well, but through the course of time, and demanding conditions including environmental and vehicle load impacts, this steel structure is currently structurally deficient and is no longer capable of supporting today's vehicle loads without rehabilitation or replacement. In fact, the condition of key structural components has deteriorated to an unsafe level, and in 1990 the City Council ordered the closure of the bridge. As an interim measure to re-open the crossing, reinforcing I-beams spanning the abutments were placed inside of the trusses to support the bridge deck. This supplemental support now carrying the majority of the deck load, occupies space formerly used for parking on the bridge.