Franklin Road Bridge – Roanoke VA

Description

The Franklin Road Bridge was paid for by the New Deal-era Public Works Administration during the Great Depression. The 363-foot span carries vehicular traffic over railroad tracks to eliminate dangerous train-car accidents. The Art Deco ornamentation on this bridge is not as ornate as that on bridges built in the 1920s, but featured lights that “used sodium vapor to illuminate the bridge at night.” This was new to Roanoke in the 1930s.

“The Virginian Railway and the City of Roanoke received federal funds to build bridges that would cross above railroad tracks and remove dangerous at-grade crossings. The Franklin Road and Wasena bridges were two projects paid for by the New Deal-era Public Works Administration, which put unemployed local laborers to work. The bridge’s Art Deco flourishes are not as elaborate as those of the bridges built in the 1920s, although the original lights used sodium vapor to illuminate the bridge at night, which was new to Roanoke in the 1930s. The aging bridge is slated to be replaced in 2016.” (historic bridges of Roanoke)

The construction of the bridge began in April of 1936; it was a project that was applied for by the city of Roanoke and the Virginian Railroad, and cost about $193,000.