Information on Huntsville's Roads (Redstone Arsenal, Butler: apartments, houses, elementary school)

[friday13]

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

How is South Huntsville becoming HHA?

nice conversation starter

[Charles]

What is the purpose of this bridge?

35763 - Google Maps

It's on the 565 about 200 yards west of Triana, or a little southeast of Butler High School. It doesn't seem like a flood control duct because there is a railroad track immediately north of it, parallel to the freeway. There doesn't seem to be a road right of way there. There is now a new equipment building immediately south of the 565 there. So, what is this bridge for?

There's also another bridge on South Memorial Parkway with no perpendicular road beneath it, between Aiport and Drake, but at least it seems it serves a purpose in that it allows people to U-Turn from both directions on the frontage Road and not have to use either Drake or Airport to U-Turn.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by Charles

What is the purpose of this bridge?

[URL="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35763&sll=34. 051335,-118.525235&sspn=0.428957,0.891953&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnea r=Hampton+Cove,+Madison,+Alabama+35763&ll=34.72374 5,-86.613899&spn=0.001662,0.003484&t=h&z=19"]35763 - Google Maps[/URL]

It's on the 565 about 200 yards west of Triana, or a little southeast of Butler High School. It doesn't seem like a flood control duct because there is a railroad track immediately north of it, parallel to the freeway. There doesn't seem to be a road right of way there. There is now a new equipment building immediately south of the 565 there. So, what is this bridge for?

It might have something to do with a water drain to keep from flooding the highway.

There's also another bridge on South Memorial Parkway with no perpendicular road beneath it, between Aiport and Drake, but at least it seems it serves a purpose in that it allows people to U-Turn from both directions on the frontage Road and not have to use either Drake or Airport to U-Turn.

This is known as the Useless Overpass. It was the first overpass built and used as a test.

There may be no road under it, but it is useful in some situations, like getting to those businesses like the Redstone bank.

[friday13]

Funding has been set aside for road improvement:
The Stimulus Tracker| msnbc.com

Now let's all sit back and watch the progress.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by stewdog1

It might have something to do with a water drain to keep from flooding the highway.

That's what I initially thought, and it may be the reason, but notice the railroad track running parallel to the freeway and north of the freeway. I would think not too much water would be able to cross the track and it's berm or accumulate between the track and the freeway. Also, there is no like bridge for the railroad to let water pass.

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by Charles

What is the purpose of this bridge?

35763 - Google Maps

It's on the 565 about 200 yards west of Triana, or a little southeast of Butler High School. It doesn't seem like a flood control duct because there is a railroad track immediately north of it, parallel to the freeway. There doesn't seem to be a road right of way there. There is now a new equipment building immediately south of the 565 there. So, what is this bridge for?

From the GIS maps from the city's website, there is a set of railroad tracks that go under 565. From the image, I certainly don't see them any more. Perhaps there is still some sort of right of way that they had to provide for. On the GIS map, they wind their way to around Triana and 11th St.

[cornutt]

Originally Posted by djmaxwell

From the GIS maps from the city's website, there is a set of railroad tracks that go under 565. From the image, I certainly don't see them any more. Perhaps there is still some sort of right of way that they had to provide for. On the GIS map, they wind their way to around Triana and 11th St.

I do recall that there used to be a rail spur that crossed Governors Drive near the old driving range; it ran alongside the plant that is now the Inergi facility. I dug up a map book from 1997 that shows it continuing south from Governors to 9th Avenue, and then turning east and crossing Triana Boulevard. On the Google satellite image, if you follow a line from the west edge of the Inergi building south across Governors, you can kind of see the old right of way. It looks like it went another three blocks after crossing Triana, and ended at 4th Street. The Inergi building used to be a plant called Martin Industries that built gas heaters; they were still in business when that part of I-565 was built and I think the rail spur was still serving them, so 565 would have had to bridge it.

I also recall that there was a second spur off of that spur that crossed Bob Wallace Avenue, and on the Google image you can see the old ROW of that one too. At 6th Street, it forked off and turned south, running just west of the Inline Electric building and, after crossing the street, running just east of Bob Wallace Appliance. It looks like it ended just south of that, although a long time ago, it may have gone further south down to the Huntsville Manufacturing mill near Triana and Drake. (That would have been before Milton Frank Stadium and Brahan Spring Park were built.) In fact, if you follow that line south, it appears that there is still an old railroad trestle over a creek, a little south of Ivy Avenue.

[Charles]

Here's a much higher resolution view. If it dorks up, use bing maps to navigate and select "Bird's Eye View"

Wacky Bridge in Huntsville

You can also see the view from different angles by clicking the arcing arrows on the top left side of the image.

[cornutt]

Thanks for posting that, Charles. That's a great view. You can clearly see the remains of the railroad trestle south of Ivy Avenue. I'm going to have to go down there this weekend and photograph that.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by Charles

Here's a much higher resolution view. If it dorks up, use bing maps to navigate and select "Bird's Eye View"

Wacky Bridge in Huntsville

You can also see the view from different angles by clicking the arcing arrows on the top left side of the image.

You can definitely see the outline of the old tracks ending just north of Governor's.

Great find.