East Bloomsburg Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°59′N76°26′W / 40.99°N 76.44°W |
Carries | Pennsylvania Route 487 |
Crosses | Susquehanna River |
Locale | Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania and Catawissa Township, Pennsylvania |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 1150 feet |
Location | |
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was a bridge in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It carried the traffic of Pennsylvania Route 487, [1] which is known as Ferry Road at that point. [2] The bridge crossed the Susquehanna River. [1] It was built in 1894 and torn down in 1987. The East Bloomsburg Bridge is on the Historic American Engineering Record and the Historic American Buildings Survey, as of 1992. [3]
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was 1,150 feet (350 m) long. Prior to its demolition and reconstruction, the bridge was made up of six pin-connected through truss spans. Each of these spans is 190 feet (58 m) long. Each of the spans consisted of ten panels that were each 19 feet (5.8 m) long. The panels were made of wrought iron and steel. The pins on the bridge were made of steel. The floor of the bridge was made of 2.5-inch (6 centimeter) oak. The original design of the bridge was such that it could support a static load of 732 pounds (332 kg) per linear foot and a rolling load of 1,440 pounds (650 kg) per linear foot. The bridge's original weight limit was 13 tons, but this was later decreased to 10 tons. [1] Shortly before its demolition, the bridge had two lanes of 8.25 feet (2.51 m). It had a clearance of 16 feet (4.9 m) at the beginning of the bridge and 16.92 feet (5.16 m) at the center. [2]
The East Bloomsburg Bridge crosses the Susquehanna River between Bloomsburg and Catawissa Township. [1] The bridge is located in the U.S.G.S. Catawissa Quadrangle. [2]
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was constructed with Pennsylvania-style trusses, also known as Petit trusses. These were based on a Pratt truss, but had several modifications. These included converting the top chord to a polygonal shape and dividing and deepening the panels. [2]
On August 23, 1892, a group of citizens created a petition requesting that a free county bridge be built across the Susquehanna River in the vicinity of Bloomsburg. The citizens delivered this petition to a nearby court. However, on September 21, 1892, a group of citizens from Catawissa created a petition requesting that the money that was to be used for the East Bloomsburg Bridge would instead be used to build a replacement for the existing bridge in Catawissa, which was in poor condition at the time. Due to the opposing petition, the court in Bloomsburg ceased plans to build the bridge at Bloomsburg. However, despite more arguments from the opponents of the planned bridge in Bloomsburg, the court reversed its decision on November 9, 1893, stating that "the said bridge is necessary as a county bridge". [1]
The original plans for the East Bloomsburg Bridge were drawn up on November 29, 1893. [1]
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was built in 1894. The exact site chosen for it was near where a ferry crossed the Susquehanna River. It cost $73,299.67 to build. The cost of the superstructure was $35,500, the cost of the substructure was $35,415.46, and the cost of the filling and riprapping was $2384.21. The King Bridge Company was in charge of building the bridge's superstructure and Joseph Hendler was in charge of building the substructure. [1] J.C. Brown constructed the plans for the bridge and was also the supervising engineer. [2]
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was severely damaged during a flood in 1904, with parts of the bridge being swept away entirely. [4]
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was heavily used from its construction until 1914. In 1914, it was redecked. The floor of the bridge was converted to laminated wood that was 4 inches (10 centimeters) thick and covered in a bituminous layer. In 1924, 3-inch (7.6-centimeter) thick white oak planks were laid diagonally on the bridge. By 1954, the bridge was in a significant state of deterioration, so it was redecked again, this time with steel. Guard rails were also added in this year. By 1984, the bridge was experiencing problems with rusting and its weight limit had been reduced to less than 10 tons. [1]
By 1985, the bridge's ownership had passed to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. [2]
The bridge was determined to be eligible for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. However, on December 3, 1984, plans were made for the bridge's demolition in 1987. [1] In the same year, it was replaced completely by a new bridge in the same location. [5] Factors contributing to its demolition included its age and the lightweight design of its trusses. [6] This new bridge was designated as the "Fort McClure Veterans Memorial Bridge" on December 5, 1988. [7]
In 2005, the United States Geological Survey installed a gauging station near the site of the bridge. The things that were installed there included a microwave sensor for measuring stream flow and velocity. [8]
After the construction of the East Bloomsburg Bridge, it was easier to directly access the Coal Region, Pottsville and the Centre Turnpike Road [note 1] from Bloomsburg. Around this time, it also aided in the town of Bloomsburg's ability to transition from having iron mining as its main industry to having textile mills as its main industry. The bridge accomplished this by providing easier access to goods. In 1987, the East Bloomsburg Bridge was used by 6000 cars every day on average. The bridge provides access to U.S. Route 11. [1]
As of 1987, the East Bloomsburg Bridge may be been the last bridge in Pennsylvania to have "Pennsylvania"-style trusses. [1]
Catawissa is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Susquehanna Valley in Pennsylvania. The population was 1,539 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolitan area.
Catawissa Township is a township near the borough of Catawissa, Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 904 at the 2020 census.
The Waldo–Hancock Bridge was the first long-span suspension bridge erected in Maine, as well as the first permanent bridge across the Penobscot River downstream from Bangor. The name comes from connecting Waldo and Hancock counties. The bridge was built in 1931 and retired in 2006, when the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge was opened just a few yards away. Demolition of the structure was completed by 2013.
The Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge, officially the Veterans Memorial Bridge, spans the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and carries Pennsylvania Route 462 and BicyclePA Route S. Built originally as the Lancaster-York Intercounty Bridge, construction began in 1929, and the bridge opened September 30, 1930. On November 11, 1980, it was officially dedicated as Veterans Memorial Bridge, though it is still referenced locally as the Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge.
The Coraopolis Bridge[1] is a girder bridge over the back channel of the Ohio River connecting Grand Avenue on Neville Island to Ferree Street in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1995 to replace a structure of historic significance. The original Pratt/Bowstring/Pennsylvania[2] through truss spans, designed by Theodore Cooper, were formerly the (third) Sixth Street Bridge, spanning the Allegheny River, in downtown Pittsburgh, and were built in 1892 by the Union Bridge Company. They were floated downstream by the Foundation Company in 1927 rather than being demolished when the bridge was removed to enable construction of the present (fourth) Three Sisters (Pittsburgh) Sixth Street Self-anchored suspension bridge. However, by the late 1980s, the old bridge could no longer support traffic volumes and was replaced by a newer structure.
The Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge is a deck truss bridge that carries the Amtrak Northeast Corridor line across the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland. The 4,153.8-foot (1,266.1 m)-long two-track bridge has 17 fixed spans and one swing span across the river's navigation channel. It carries up to 114 daily passenger and freight trains.
The CSX Susquehanna River Bridge is a railroad bridge that carries CSX's Philadelphia Subdivision across the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland, via Garrett Island. It was built in 1907–1910 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) on the same alignment as an 1886 B&O bridge. Like its predecessor, it was the longest continuous bridge on the B&O system.
The Uhlerstown–Frenchtown Bridge is a free bridge over the Delaware River, owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission. The bridge connects New Jersey Route 12 in Frenchtown of Hunterdon County, New Jersey with Pennsylvania Route 32 in Uhlerstown of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The West End Bridge is a steel tied-arch bridge over the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) below the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. It connects the West End to the Chateau neighborhood on the North Side of Pittsburgh.
Catawissa Creek is a 41.8-mile-long (67.3 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in east-central Pennsylvania in the United States. Its watershed has an area of 153 square miles (400 km2).
Cairo Rail Bridge is the name of two bridges crossing the Ohio River near Cairo, Illinois in the United States. The original was an 1889 George S. Morison through-truss and deck truss bridge, replaced by the current bridge in 1952. The second and current bridge is a through-truss bridge that reused many of the original bridge piers. As of 2018, trains like the City of New Orleans travel over the Ohio River supported by the same piers whose construction began in 1887.
Little Fishing Creek is a tributary of Fishing Creek in Sullivan County, Lycoming County, and Columbia County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 23.5 miles (37.8 km) long and flows through eight townships. The watershed of the creek has an area of 68.1 square miles (176 km2). The creek has six named tributaries, of which the largest are Spruce Run and West Branch Run.
Roaring Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Columbia County and Montour County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is slightly more than 20 miles (32 km) long and flows through Roaring Creek Township, Locust Township, Catawissa Township, Cleveland Township, and Franklin Township in Columbia County and Mayberry Township in Montour County. The watershed of the creek has an area of 87.3 square miles (226 km2). It has three named tributaries: South Branch Roaring Creek, Lick Run, and Mill Creek. The creek is not considered to be impaired and is not affected by coal mining. However, its watershed has been impacted by human land use. Claystones, conglomerates, sandstones, siltstones, and shales all occur within the watershed. The creek flows through a gorge in its lower reaches, along the border between Columbia County and Montour County.
The Carl E. Stotz Memorial Little League Bridge, formerly known as the Market Street Bridge, carries approximately 27,700 vehicles a day on U.S. Route 15 over the West Branch Susquehanna River between Williamsport and South Williamsport in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the seventh bridge on the site and was built at a cost of over $60,000,000.
The Waterford Covered Bridge is a Town lattice truss covered bridge spanning LeBoeuf Creek in Waterford Township, Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The bridge was built in 1875, and is 85 feet 11 inches (26.2 m) in length. The Waterford Covered Bridge is one of two remaining covered bridges in Erie County, along with the Harrington Covered Bridge. The bridge is also the only Town lattice truss bridge in the county and one of only 19 in Pennsylvania. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2011, the bridge was closed due to its deteriorating condition.
The Skinners Falls–Milanville Bridge is a closed bridge spanning the Delaware River between Milanville, Damascus Township, Pennsylvania and the hamlet of Skinners Falls in Cochecton, New York. The 466.5-foot (142.2 m) long Baltimore truss bridge carried traffic of Calkins Road in Milanville and Skinners Falls Road in Cochecton over a single wooden lane of traffic until its final closure in October 2019. The bridge is one of two bridges on the National Register of Historic Places along the river in Sullivan County, and is a contributing member of the Milanville Historic District.
The Catawissa Railroad was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania between 1860 and 1953. For most of its lifespan it was leased by the Reading Company, and was subsequently merged into the Reading.
The Rupert Covered Bridge No. 56 is a covered bridge in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is one of 23 covered bridges in Columbia County. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest existing covered bridge in Columbia County. The bridge is located in the community of Rupert and is open to traffic.
The Danville, Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre Railroad, also called the D.H. & W.B. Railroad, was a railroad in northeastern Pennsylvania. It ran from Sunbury to Tomhicken, a total of 43.44 miles plus 10.1 miles of branch lines, making the whole railroad 53.54 miles long. The railroad was completed in 1870. As of 2010, the Danville, Hazleton and Willkes-Barre Railroad tracks belong to the Pennsylvania Railroad. The railroad's gauge was 4 ft 9 in.
The Straight Street Bridge is a vehicular bridge over the Passaic River in Paterson, New Jersey, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.