West Orange Road-Thomas Bridge
Also known as: Orange Road Bridge; Thomas Road Bridge; 2132184; Del-15-15
Why it's listed
Carrying West Orange Road over the Olentangy River in Delaware County, Ohio, this steel Pratt through truss bridge was built in 1898 by the Toledo Bridge Company. It is 182 feet long, with a 180-foot clear span, a 16-foot roadway and trusses 27 feet high, resting on sandstone abutments. The county commissioners ordered it after floods destroyed or damaged the earlier wooden Thomas Bridge at the site. Deputy engineer John B. Taggart designed tall abutments to lift the structure above the broad floodplain, and a lower chord reinforced with latticework to handle stress reversals. Those features helped it survive the great 1913 flood. Pin-connected Pratt trusses were once the standard highway bridge in Ohio, but surviving examples dropped from 510 in 1983 to 168 in 2001. The Ohio Department of Transportation counts this bridge among eleven it considers eligible for national listing. A 1970 rehabilitation was judged routine maintenance, and the bridge still carries traffic.
Significance in brief: The bridge is significant under Criterion C for engineering as a surviving example of the metal through truss type that once dominated highway bridge design. It is the work of the Toledo Bridge Company and county deputy engineer John B. Taggart, whose design for high abutments and a lower chord that handles stress reversals helped it survive the 1913 flood. It is one of only two ODOT-identified Pratt through truss bridges by the company still standing.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000701, listed June 26, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | OH 114, E of jct. with OH 315, Powell |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | June 26, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000701 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1898-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Toledo Bridge Company |
| Architectural style | Other: Pratt through truss |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a road bridge. A 1970 rehabilitation replaced stringers and bridge seats, and the structure was described in 2001 as in good condition apart from a rusted guardrail panel. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.17527, -83.04556 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000701.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7986123
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.