Harrods Old Trace Bridge, Jeffersontown, Kentucky

Back along a hard packed deadend gravel road literally 50 feet from I-265 on the east side of Louisville, Kentucky I found this timber stringer bridge over the Norfolk Southern Railroad. The road, Harrods Old Trace, dates back to the 1800s with this bridge dating back to around 1907 although I’m sure it has been updated once or twice since then with new decking and rails.

The trains use this route daily and on my visit on December 8th, 2023 I was lucky enough to catch one rumbling under the bridge.

The bridge sees very little traffic as there are only about 4 or 5 homes on the other side of the tracks. But with a 5 ton weight limit, this bridge most likely can’t accommodate some ambulances and fire trucks are definitely too heavy to use the bridge. I have to wonder what the home owners agreement is with fire and rescue services in the area.

The bridge looks to be in great shape but these timber stringers are going by the wayside quickly in the Midwest. They were fairly common on the rural backroads but now as they have reached their life expectancy, most are being closed and removed as opposed to being rebuilt or repaired.

If you’re in the Louisville area, check this one out!

GPS Location:  38°11’33.0″N 85°30’29.7″W