22nd Street viaduct: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Wrapped baluster.jpg|right|thumb|135px|Detail of the balustrade in June 2002]]
[[Image:Wrapped baluster.jpg|right|thumb|135px|Detail of the balustrade in June 2002]]


The '''22nd Street viaduct''' (originally the '''Weatherly Viaduct''') is a road bridge constructed in [[1915]] connecting [[22nd Street South]] to [[22nd Street North]] over the [[Railroad Reservation]], [[Morris Avenue]] to the north and [[Powell Avenue]] to the south. It was the first raised viaduct constructed downtown as part of a [[downtown grade separation|grade separation]] project first proposed for the railroad reservation in the late 1880s. Partners in the project included the [[Louisville & Nashville Railroad]], the [[Southern Railway]], the [[Alabama Great Southern Railroad]], the [[Sloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Company]], the [[Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company]], and the City of Birmingham (which paid 1/4th of the cost).
The '''22nd Street viaduct''' is a road bridge constructed in [[1915]] connecting [[22nd Street South]] to [[22nd Street North]] over the [[Railroad Reservation]], [[Morris Avenue]] to the north and [[Powell Avenue]] to the south.  
 
The 60-foot wide bridge is 31½ feet tall at mid-span and stretches for 2,632 feet from end to end. The 40-foot roadway is flanked by two 10-foot wide sidewalks and originally included two [[streetcars|streetcar]] tracks at the center of the right-of-way. Construction of the bridge began on [[July 1]], [[1914]] and cost $200,000 to build (nearly 30% under the budget of $280,000). After the placement of 13,550 cubic yards of concrete, construction was completed in October 1915.


The east edge of the viaduct is built directly adjacent to a building on the south side of Morris Avenue. The portion of the building's wall projecting above the span was used as the site for "[[Geo-Chromatic Progress]]", one of [[Michael Mojher]]'s paintings completed under the auspices of the [[Birmingham Mural Project|Birmingham Urban Mural Project]] in [[1978]].
The east edge of the viaduct is built directly adjacent to a building on the south side of Morris Avenue. The portion of the building's wall projecting above the span was used as the site for "[[Geo-Chromatic Progress]]", one of [[Michael Mojher]]'s paintings completed under the auspices of the [[Birmingham Mural Project|Birmingham Urban Mural Project]] in [[1978]].

Revision as of 11:45, 12 January 2011

Detail of the balustrade in June 2002

The 22nd Street viaduct is a road bridge constructed in 1915 connecting 22nd Street South to 22nd Street North over the Railroad Reservation, Morris Avenue to the north and Powell Avenue to the south.

The east edge of the viaduct is built directly adjacent to a building on the south side of Morris Avenue. The portion of the building's wall projecting above the span was used as the site for "Geo-Chromatic Progress", one of Michael Mojher's paintings completed under the auspices of the Birmingham Urban Mural Project in 1978.

The span gained a degree of local press in the summer of 2000 when the city used duct tape to temporarily fix crumbling balusters while waiting for appropriations from ALDOT for more permanent repairs.

References

  • "Facts About Birmingham's New Viaduct" (October 1915) The Birmingham Magazine - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
  • MacDonald, Ginny (July 7, 2000) "Duct tape bridges the gap." Birmingham News.
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