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This Seaboard Air Line Railroad bridge
crosses North Tryon Street, which was lowered to form an underpass that
runs below
the rail line. The wide concrete bridge now carries four tracks.
The bridge appears to have been constructed entirely of reinforced
concrete. As opposed to the nearby West Sixth Street Railroad
Underpass which utilizes massive concrete beam construction, the
Seaboard bridge relies on a single thick reinforced slab.
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Like the
nearby
West Sixth Street bridge, the Seaboard bridge features ornamentation
cast into the concrete. The stepped angled trim that highlights
and accentuates the gentle arch of the bridge's main span is
typical of the Art Modern Style. Art Moderne Style
emphasizes "sleekness" through the use of prominent horizontal designs
and smooth surfaces. Art Moderne structures usually have a
"machine-like" quality, that often suggests speed and movement, which is
in keeping with a railroad bridge.
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The slab is supported by a series of posts on each side of the street
that form a galleries that contain the sidewalks that run along the east
and the west sides of Tryon street. The use of galleries, which is also
seen on the Sixth Street bridge, allows for the critical span of the
bridge to be shortened. The exterior gallery posts extend above
the rail bed, and are used as massive anchors for the bridge's metal
guardrails. Typical of Art Modern, these tall posts feature
stepped shoulders and stepped fluting. The three metal plates that
form the posts for the guardrails reflect the shouldered concrete posts,
with the center plate taller than the others. The metal pipe rails
are set in an asymmetrical pattern. At the southeast corner of the
bridge the gallery extends out for three bays, with part of the platform
for the
Seaboard Airline RR Terminal above the gallery. To the south
of the extended gallery are two large sections of concrete retaining
wall, topped with guard rail and featuring the same cast features found
on the bridge. The texture and color of the concrete in the
retaining walls may indicate that these walls were repaired or were a
later addition.
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