Double-Span Whipple Bowstring Truss Bridge
| Shaw Bridge | |
|---|---|
View from south end, 2008
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| Coordinates | 42°12′55″N 73°43′44″W / 42.21528°N 73.72889°WCoordinates: 42°12′55″N 73°43′44″W / 42.21528°N 73.72889°W |
| Carries | Van Wyck Lane |
| Crosses | Claverack Creek |
| Locale | Claverack, NY |
| Maintained by | Columbia County Department of Public Works |
| Heritage status | NRHP #80002598 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Bowstring truss |
| Material | Iron, wood |
| Total length | 162 feet (49 m) |
| Width | 13 feet (4.0 m) |
| No. of spans | 2 |
| Clearance below | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Squire Whipple |
| Constructed by | J. D. Hutchinson |
| Opened | 1870 |
Shaw Bridge, also known as Double-Span Whipple Bowstring Truss Bridge, is a historic bridge in Claverack, New York, United States. It carried Van Wyck Lane over Claverack Creek, but is now closed to all traffic, even pedestrians. It is "a structure of outstanding importance to the history of American engineering and transportation technology." Specifically designed by John D. Hutchinson, the bridge employs the basic design of Squire Whipple. It is the only extant double-span Whipple bowstring truss bridge in the U.S.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Since then its wooden deck has deteriorated to the point where it cannot be used even by pedestrians, and it has been closed.
The bridge is located in a quiet residential area where houses, some dating to the early 19th century like the nearby Jacob P. Mesick House, are built on large lots. Many tall trees grow in the area, giving it a wooded feel. The creek, a tributary of the Hudson River to the west, is shallow yet wide here. It is 0.1 miles (160 m) east of NY 23/9H, the main north-south route through the Claverack area.
Structurally, the bridge is a bowstring tied arch with two separate yet identical spans supported by end abutments and a center pier of mortared cut limestone blocks. Its lower chord, wrought iron spans between cast iron connecting blocks, is 162 feet (49 m) long, 13 feet (4.0 m) wide and 10.5 feet (3.2 m) above water level. Its upper chords are segmental arches of nine tangential iron castings with their bearing surfaces joined at each panel point. They bear the legend "J. D. Hutchinson, Builder, Troy, N.Y., 1870".
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