It’s a traditional structure and might be seen along areas throughout our country. Your job is to pinpoint its location, and telling us something about its history. Send your idea to [email protected] and include your hometown.
of Columbia, S.C. recognized the last mystery as “The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge (known locally as the Coleman Bridge) is a double swing bridge that spans the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point, Va.” The photo came from Bruce Johnson of Lawrenceville.
Also correct were George Graf, Palmyra, Va,; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Stewart Ogilvie, Reheboth, Ala.; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas, who wrote: “It is a double-swing-span bridge that was built to honor George P. Coleman (1870–1948), who served as the head of the Virginia Department of Highways from 1913 to 1922. The bridge carries U.S. Route 17 traffic across the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point, approximately 30 miles northwest of Norfolk.
“The Coleman Bridge is 3,750 feet long, making it the largest double-swing-span bridge in the United States. When operational, it has a clearance height of 60 feet, so it does not normally need to be opened for most commercial and recreational boats, except for tall-masted vessels such as large sailboats and historical replica ships, and some tugboats with high-clearance barges or research vessels.”…