The Shober Humpback Bridge ~ Preservation Philosophy

In 2006, in an independent effort to show that rehabilitation of the Shober Bridge was a more viable and less costly option to the demolition/rebuild option, the Historic Salibury Foundation contracted with a structural engineer specialized in historic structure rehabilitation. David Fischetti's career has focused on projects of this nature in other communities and states.  He is familiar with the design issues involved with humpback bridges such as the Shober Bridge and is familiar with assessing current structural conditions of historic bridges and structures.

In this report, Fischetti states,

"[the City's] Bridge inspection reports have not addressed the Ellis Street / Shober Humpback Bridge as a cultural artifact eligible for restoration. A rehabilitation scheme which invokes the principles inherent in The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties would strive to retain a maximum amount of historic fabric.

The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties contains some valuable information worth considering. Under these standards, rehabilitation means "the process of returning a property to a state of utility, through repair or alteration, which makes possible and efficient contemporary use while preserving those portions and features of the property which are significant to its historic, architectural, and cultural value."  Minimum alteration of the bridge, its environment and its distinguishing engineering and architectural qualities are required.  Archaeological resources must be protected as well as significant historical, architectural or cultural material. (...) The guidelines for applying The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties recommend that the "special problems inherent in the structural system..., especially where there are visible signs of cracking, deflection or failure" be recognized.  "Stabilization and repair of weakened structural members and systems when damaged or inadequate" are also recommended.  "Historically important structural members" are to be replaced "only when necessary".

This report concludes that, "It is in the best interest of Salisbury to maintain the current bridge geometry.  Increased clearance above the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks, and a reduction in the approach grades, will have an overwhelming effect on approach grades along Ellis Street.  The result is a total construction cost for a new bridge which will far exceed the normal cost of a simple bridge required to traverse a railroad cut. (...) Is is our recommendation that Salisbury leaders select the option which ensures the maximum retention of historic fabric and continued use of this cultural resource.  In this way, the Ellis Street / Shober Humpback Bridge can continue to provide an important link across this active transportation corridor.
(Fischetti, 2006)

The City of Salisbury Plans (Again) to Demolish Shober Bridge & Build New

The Problem:

At the City Council meeting held on December 15, 2009, City Engineers once again resurfaced what they are calling the "Ellis Street Bridge Project" ~ a project on the books for some 25 years to demolish Shober Bridge and build a new, wider, and higher bridge (reports vary from 4.5 feet to 11 feet - with no architect or engineering plans yet in place) in its place.  This 'Project' has surfaced several times in Shober Bridge's history:

 In 1985*, the proposal was to:

· Replace the Ellis Street Bridge
· Under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
     o  Involve the public
     o “Avoid, minimize or mitigate” adverse effects on historic properties
· Create a Thoroughfare Plan with recommended new alignment (this means large On-Ramps similar to the Interstate On-Ramps at either end of the bridge.)

In 1996*, the City modified the 'Project' goals to:
o Maintain grade separation for public safety  & retain existing traffic patterns
o Reduce impact on historic properties
o Qualify for federal participation
o Effectively “replace in place”
o Obtain 20 mph design exception (the speed limit would increase to 40 mph in this residential district.
o Amend the Thoroughfare Plan (the Ellis Street neighborhood would now be a major thoroughfare)

In 2006*, the City Engineers resurface the 'Project' with:
· 4 Options (20 mph) design
    o New, 3-track bridge
    o New, 2-track bridge
    o Rehabilitate bridge (note: this is the FIRST and ONLY time this option was presented)
    o “Do nothing”

*  Each and every time the "Ellis Street Bridge Project" came to public light, public out-cry has squashed the intended demolition of the historic Shober Bridge.  Each and every time the "Project" was presented, the City Engineers confirmed that the proposed construction alternatives would effect historic resources.  This translates to destroying a structure that is listed in the National Historic Registry (under the Ellis Street Graded School Historic District) and dramatically altering the character of the Ellis Street Graded School Historic District.

It is of the utmost importance to note that the Shober Bridge (the Ellis Street Bridge) is a landmark in the Ellis Street Graded School Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5th, 1999.  The Shober Bridge is listed as a contributing structure in the heart of this district of late 19th century homes.

In December 2009, the project was sprung once again, but now upon a newly elected City Council - the same Council whose candidates spoke before a forum of nearly 100 citizens on platforms of neighborhood focus and revitalization and historic preservation here in Historic Salisbury NC.  The citizens and Council learned that:

o The City had lost authorized access to Federal funds for this project due to lack of progress (May).
o The City was advised to complete NEPA process or pay back $171,000 Federal funds (October)
o NCDOT requests a response by February 2010

The 2009 proposal rings a familiar bell:
· Demolish the current Shober Bridge structure and build a new bridge:

   o Select options for building a 3-track bridge or a 2-track bridge
   o Update cost estimate
   o Commit to firm schedule
   o Request NCDOT to reauthorize Federal fund
· No-Build:
   o Make final decision
   o Request waiver of pay back

Public outcry has begun anew!  The proposal has been presented in such a way that it has created a devisive culture in the City of Salibury.  The citizens, mostly in response to Letters to the Editor in the Salisbury Post (www.salisburypost.com), appear to be divided into two camps: Preservationists vs. Build-New.  Several chief problems surface in that (1) little is known about the important history of Shober Bridge, (2) the City has NOT presented the most obvious and cost effective solution for all that would unite the two camps into one cohesive school of thought: 

Repair and rejuvinate the Shober Bridge, keeping its historic character intact, while ensure safe passage for all.

One argument the City engineers make to support the demolition/rebuild option that it will allow for emergency vehicles to traverse the bridge. 

1. Emergency vehicles have been traversing the Shober Bridge for over 100 years and over its current structure for at least 70 years.
2. It is an established fact that all vehicles, commercial, private, or emergency, are being made lighter today with aluminum instead of steel, LED's instead of lamps, and in the case of fire response, fiberglass or polypropylene tanks instead of steel.  Fire response can even use light weight foam with water instead of water alone for efficient fire fighting. 
3. All area emergency vehicles use Grove Street as the access road.
4. If the City had been concerned that emergency vehicles could not service the Northwest quadrant of the City, perhaps a fire station would have been built there.

Fact: The proposed demolition/rebuild project will take as much as 2 years, during which time the Shober Bridge and that block of Ellis Street will be closed.  What then will emergency vehicles do during this time span? A rehabilitation project for the bridge would take weeks, not years to complete.

The Solution:

Rehabilitate the Shober Bridge.  We all want a safe bridge.  Keep the historic nature intact.  The unique humpback design of the Shober Bridge makes it a landmark that should be placed on:
Salisbury's History and Art Trail
(www.historyandarttrail.com),
Salisbury's (proposed) Comprehensive Bicycle Plan (www.ci.salisbury.nc.us/planningboard/09.../8_25_09%20Minutes.pdf)
Salibury Greenway Expansion 
(www.ci.salisbury.nc.us/pkrec/Greenway2.htm)

Salisbury and Rowan County Citizens:  You have the opportunity to voice your concerns and promote the rehabilitation and rejuvination of this historic landmark.  Do not let City Engineers split your community needlessly into devisive camps when we all want the same thing! 

Beseech your City Council to rehabilitate this piece of historic structure and infrastructure.  Write your City Council at:

City of Salisbury
City Council
PO Box 479
Salisbury NC 28145

Write the Salisbury Post with your request to rehabilitate the Shober Bridge:

http://tools.salisburypost.com/LetterForm.php

Time is of the essence.  The City has the Shober Bridge on a fast track to demolition! The people of Salisbury do not feel differently about this bridge than they have for the last 25 years.  Keep the Shober Bridge as the valued landmark that it is.  Make it safe. Period.

The Shober Bridge on the 1882 Sanborn Map of the North Ward

 

This section of the 1882 Sanborn Map shows the Shober Bridge (the two small hatch marks)across the Western North Carolina Railway line in its current location on Ellis Street near adjacent to the Salisbury Graded School. Note the property slightly to the south of the bridge, owned by F. E. Shober.  This is Col. Francis Shober for whom the bridge was named. Francis E. Shober served as a congressman in or around 1868, just 10 years after the Shober Bridge was opened.  At this time, the bridge was an entirely wooden structure and much narrower than today's two-lane paved bridge but takes the same angle that it does today across the railway ravine.  Shober Bridge was split in half and widened in the early 1900's.

The Shober Bridge, predating the Civil War, in the Ellis Street Graded School Historic District

The Shober Bridge, pre-dating the Civil War, is a landmark structure and a gateway through the Ellis Street Graded School Historic District, where this antebellum home from the 1800's, along with others, sits along the Southern Railway line.

The Historic Shober Bridge ~ Salisbury, North Carolina

The historic Shober Bridge in Salisbury North Carolina, also known as the Ellis Street Bridge, predates the Civil War and is a local landmark in the Ellis Street Graded School District.  The Shober Bridge is best known as the bridge across which General George Stoneman led his Union troops to occupy Salisbury in 1865.

The Shober Bridge is fairly unique in structure.  A "humpback" or "camel-back" bridge, the 100-foot-long, single-span structure is four feet higher at its center than it is at either end, giving it a rounded or 'humpback' appearance. The Shober Bridge's earliest history is long buried or forgotten, however bridges of this style were built in the 1820's and were often covered.  The Shober Bridge has no evidence of ever having been a covered bridge.  The Shober Bridge is one of the few overpasses over the railway system in Salisbury.  It is situated in the heart of one of Salisbury's 10 National Historic Districts, the Ellis Street Graded School District, where it is cited as a contributing structure on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Shober Bridge is constructed of large round wooden posts and a plank deck in three sections.  There are two angled approaches and a flat span across the tracks.  The bridge is constructed with wooden girders that rest atop the trestles from the two approaches and I-beams support the flat span.  The supports for the trestles and the abutments are concrete.  The sidewalks have wooden railings on both sides,facilitating pedestrian traffic over the railroad tracks and through the neighborhood. Based on construction and materials, the current Shober Bridge configuration appears to date from the 1932 - 1944 period. (United States Department of the Interior, National Parks Service, National Register of Historic Places, Ellis Street Graded School Historic District, Rowan County, North Carolina)