Mill Bridge

Abridged
Mill Bridge, Durham

Have you heard the one about the bridge over a bridge? No, no… I don’t mean like the bridge over a bridge like the Ghost Highway Stack above I-84 in Farmington. I mean the bridge built over a bridge kind of like a larger doll fits over a smaller nested doll… that no one knew about? That kind of bridge?

This isn’t something that happens every day.

But it happened in Durham in 1994. On Durham’s busiest road no less.

Yes, right there on Main Street (Route 17), right in the center of town, right near the entrance to the massive annual Durham Fair, right over Allyn Brook… a bridge was found inside of a bridge.

Construction workers putting in a new bridge found the brownstone arch of the original bridge. When it was uncovered, history buffs and bridge nerds were all atwitter. Especially since the arch bridge was so beautifully crafted in the early 19th century.

Back when the arch bridge was built and used, it was called Miller Bridge. The road, which was merely a dirt path back then, was six to eight feet lower than it is today. When plans for the late 20th-century bridge work were made, officials apparently assumed that the original bridge was no longer there.

It’s incredibly cool that the town and the state protected the old bridge under the bridge. And in fact, if you know what you’re looking for, you can take some stairs down to a walkway from Old Cemetery Way at its junction with Main Street to get a great view of the arch.

There’s also a plaque explaining the whole wacky thing:

Cool, huh? I think so. And I think it’s incredibly cool that it’s been properly preserved and is quite effectively on display for anyone to go check out.

So next time you and your family go to the Durham Fair and walk from some overpriced lot north off of Main Street, try to remember to walk on the wrong side of the road (without a sidewalk) and to ignore the cops yelling at you for doing so… it’s worth it to walk down the steps to look into the gaping maw of brownstone arch bridge history.

Trust me. The cops will understand. (There is a crosswalk from the other side of Main Street at least.)