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al iron bridges had long lives, partly because they did not rust. Wrought iron also bent easily, so the bridge was forgiving if someone ran into the superstructure.
The 1882 bridge
is replaced
The coming of the automobile and truck in the early 1900s was another matter. With a single-lane bridge there were right-of-way problem^ Many Madison Mill Bridge accidents were caused by inadequate signage noting that the bridge was one-lane. Iburists, unfamiliar with the bridge, were caught by surprise. For example, in April 1932, a car from Tennessee collided with a car from New York. The driver of the first car was "pitched through the windshield and a bridge standard is all that kept him from plunging into the river." He was fined $14.25. Lacking cash he gave his watch as security.
In April 1932, surveyors from the Virginia State Highway Commission were working on a proposed location for a new bridge to replace the Madison Mills Bridge, but it was to be two miles downstream. This triggered a petition from some 500 local citizens who wanted the new bridge to be built near the old one. They got their way
97.3%