The Crab Run Bridge carries VA Route 645 across Crab Run in McDowell, Virginia. It is open to pedestrians only.
The Crab Run Bridge was constructed in 1896 by the West Virginia Bridge Works of Wheeling, West Virginia to cross Crab Run along the Staunton to Parkersburg Turnpike, a predecessor to US Route 250, in McDowell. 1 2 When the bridge was bypassed in 1927, the this portion of the Turnpike was designated VA Route 645.
The Crab Run Bridge design, with specifications to use straight and bent railroad and trolley rails, was patented by Daniel Lane in 1890 and improved in a subsequent patent by the Lane Bridge Company of Painted Post, New York in 1894. 1 2 The single-span, four-panel Lane truss features top chords and end posts fabricated from railroad or trolley rails by the Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, bottom chords from straight rails, and posts and diagonals from looped tie rods with simple U-bolts serving as connectors.
The bridge was closed to motorized traffic in 1994. 1 2
Information
- State: Virginia
- Route: VA Route 645
- Type: Lane Pony Truss
- Status: Active - Pedestrian
- Total Length: 37 feet
- Deck Width: 10.8 feet
Sources
- “045-0032 Crab Run Lane Truss Bridge.” Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 26 Jan. 2021.
- Brandt, Karen. “Crab Run Lane Truss Bridge.” National Register of Historic Places, 15 Apr. 2009.