Pond Eddy Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 41°26′21″N74°49′11″W / 41.4392°N 74.8198°W |
Carries | State Route 1011 (Pennsylvania) [1] CR 41 (New York) [2] |
Crosses | Delaware River |
Locale | Pond Eddy, NY-PA |
Owner | New York–Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission |
Maintained by | New York–Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission |
Characteristics | |
Design | Truss bridge |
Material | Steel, concrete |
No. of spans | 2 |
History | |
Designer | PennDOT |
Constructed by | PennDOT |
Opened | 2018 |
Location | |
The Pond Eddy Bridge is a truss bridge spanning the Delaware River between the hamlet of Pond Eddy in Lumberland, New York and the settlement informally called Pond Eddy in Shohola Township, Pennsylvania; it is the Pennsylvania community's only road connection. It is accessible from NY 97 in Lumberland on the New York side and two dead-end local roads, Flagstone Road (State Route 1011) and Rosa Road on the Pennsylvania side. The current bridge was built in 2018, replacing one from 1903. [3]
Settlement around Pond Eddy was triggered by the Delaware and Hudson Canal, which was constructed in the 1820s. The Erie Railroad, on the Pennsylvania side, also contributed to the community's growth. After Pond Eddy continued to grow in both states, local officials decided a bridge should be erected to connect the two communities. The new bridge would make it easier to ship bluestone, slate and lumber via the railroad. In 1870 a new bridge was funded with taxpayer money, and the Town of Lumberland helped build the new Pond Eddy Bridge. The new bridge was a wire-rope suspension bridge, similar to those used by John Augustus Roebling. James D. Decker, then the Sullivan County sheriff and former Lumberland town supervisor was hired to supervise the construction of the bridge.[ citation needed ] He lived so close to the bridge site that it was soon nicknamed "Decker's Bridge". When finished, the new bridge was 521 feet (159 m) long and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, enough to hold the anticipated traffic. It stood 31 feet (9.4 m) above the water, higher than most bridges on the Delaware. [4]
Historians believe that from the beginning of the bridge's life, it was toll-free for Lumberland residents. [4] Eventually the town leased the bridge out to private individuals, who collected tolls indiscriminately. During times when bridge could not be leased, the town retained control. The tollhouse was later removed and sold. It is now a home.[ citation needed ] Originally, the settlement of Pond Eddy on the Pennsylvania side was named Flagstone, but changed to its current name upon construction. Both Pond Eddys expanded rapidly. A new railroad station was created in Pond Eddy on the Pennsylvania side. The riverfront location on the New York side had two stores, a Methodist church, a telegraph office, eighteen homes and a new hotel with a restaurant. The hotel had new owners around the time of the bridge and eventually became a large stop for travelers. The Pond Eddy Bridge served the town of Lumberland well in the late 19th century, but the area's prosperity did not last. The canal went out of business in 1898, after years of competition from railroads. The Erie station on the Pennsylvania had no roads to go anywhere, and the community began to decline. Decker died at 77 years old in 1900, having lived long enough to experience the rise and fall of Pond Eddy. [4]
1903 Pond Eddy Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 41°26′21″N74°49′11″W / 41.4393°N 74.8197°W |
Carries | State Route 1011 (Pennsylvania) [1] CR 41 (New York) [2] |
Crosses | Delaware River |
Locale | Pond Eddy, NY-PA |
Owner | New York–Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission |
Maintained by | New York–Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission |
Heritage status | NRHP #88002170 |
ID number | 000000000029949 [5] |
Characteristics | |
Design | Petit truss |
Material | Steel, wood |
Total length | 521 feet (159 m) |
Width | 12 feet (3.7 m) |
No. of spans | 2 |
Load limit | 4 tons |
Clearance above | 13.5 feet (4.1 m) |
Clearance below | 31 feet (9.4 m) |
History | |
Designer | Oswego Bridge Company |
Constructed by | Oswego Bridge Company |
Opened | 1903 |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 29 |
Location | |
In 1903, the "floods of the century" struck the Delaware River Valley. Two storms of massive strength, including one from the Great Lakes converged in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York on October 9, causing massive flooding. [6] The Riverside Hotel received little damage, but homes and businesses were damaged heavily as well as the railroad. The 1870 bridge was destroyed in the storm. Lumberland hired the Oswego Bridge Company to build a replacement for $28,900 ($980,000 in contemporary dollars [7] ). The company built the current two-span, one-lane steel structure.
The lumber industries and stone mines on both sides of the river were eventually exhausted and closed. Tourists coming up the river from Port Jervis became the mainstay of the local economy. During the next two decades, seasonal homes and hotels were built in Pond Eddy. [4]
During the 1920s, the Joint Bridge Commission in Pennsylvania and New York started buying up the tolled bridges along the Delaware. The town of Lumberland offered the Pond Eddy bridge to the Commission, but was refused. The bridge, according to the Commission, was already toll-free and adequately maintained. However, the town was eager to get rid of the responsibility to maintain the two-decade old structure, and continued to try. Finally in 1926, the Lumberland town supervisor, a friend of Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot, offered the commission the bridge for $1; around the same time, the commission paid $55,000 ($947,000 in 2023 dollars [7] ) for the Narrowsburg–Darbytown Bridge. The Joint Commission became the owner of both bridges. Since then the bridge's history has been virtually uneventful, surviving the flooding during the remains of Hurricane Diane in 1955 with little damage. [4]
The bridge remained intact for many years and, in 1963, it was rededicated as the All Veterans Memorial Bridge by two local veterans groups. [8] In 1998, it was nominated for the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for its engineering significance; it is also listed in the New York State Register of Historic Places. [9]
Over the years, the bridge's condition deteriorated, weakening its retaining strength. The National Bridge Inventory Survey categorizes its condition as "Structurally Deficient" and "Basically intolerable requiring high priority of replacement". [5] In 2005, the town of Narrowsburg passed a resolution calling on the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to replace the bridge. There has also been a local movement to save the bridge. The bluestone quarries are no longer active, but the bridge still serves as the only access to 26 homes on the Pennsylvania side and the only access those residents have to emergency services. Because of the state of the bridge, planning for its replacement began in 1999. An accident involving a dump truck in 2015 accelerated the replacement of the bridge, completed in November 2018.
In 2005, the community of Narrowsburg, New York, several miles upstream, requested that Pennsylvania Department of Transportation replace the 102-year-old structure. It had already had its weight limits reduced. The same year, an engineering firm in Millburn, New Jersey reported replacing the bridge would cost about $6.16 million, while keeping it would cost even more and raise its life expectancy by no more than 15 years. [10] The Upper Delaware Council said that the 8 ton (7.2 tonne) limit on the bridge was inadequate for service trucks and emergency vehicles. The Shohola Township supervisors support maintaining the existing bridge, but the Lumberland Town Board was not convinced that it would be sufficient. [10]
More proposals were made in 2007. Replacing the bridge would cost $7–8 million and take two years to complete. Rehabilitation would require bringing the bridge up to code so it could carry loads of up to 40 tons (36 tonnes). A preservation group formed to oppose a replacement. Its founder compared the bridge to the Dingmans Ferry Bridge on the Pennsylvania–New Jersey border, which carries similar traffic loads. One possibility is to replace the bridge, and move the antique structure elsewhere in Sullivan County, since it is a popular tourist attraction. [11] In June 2008, a compromise was made defining the possibility of a $12 million bridge to replace the 104-year-old deteriorating structure. PennDOT has suggested that they will let anyone preserve the bridge by taking it somewhere else. However, there has been no response, and plans for the new bridge were initially scheduled to begin by 2010. [12]
PennDOT began the Route 1011-Pond Eddy Bridge Replacement Project. Route 1011 is the internal designation for Flagstone Road, one of the two side roads in Pennsylvania along with the bridge. The state has proposed a four-span bridge with three connecting bridge piers, with four side options: replacing the bridge upstream, buying out the 26 residences on the Pennsylvania side, rehabilitating the structure to handle weights of 16-18 tons or maintain the bridge in its current form. Depending on which project is chosen, the estimated start would be in 2013, when the structure reaches its 110th year in use. The entire project would cost $8.5–11 million. Opponents of demolishing the bridge hope that they can find a place to move the bridge, which would cost $500,000, and have the new owners maintain it. [13]
On December 17, 2010, PennDOT's District 4 downposted the bridge's weight limit to four tons due to deterioration on the bridge. PennDOT will also front $350,000–$500,000 to replace 70 planks on the bridge, which will then restore the weight back to seven tons. Signage has already adjusted for the demotion by both PennDOT and Sullivan County. [14] Replacement began on April 18, 2011 of 64 stringer beams and on May 25, the project was completed, less than a month ahead of schedule. The seven-ton weight limit was also restored as a result of the completed construction. [15] The cost of the project totaled out to $493,000 (2011 USD). [16]
Officials from the state of New York stopped the replacement project in 2012 due to concerns of the local preservationist group, Save the Pond Eddy Bridge, which complained that the $12 million (2012 USD) project would only serve twelve families in Shohola Township and was a waste of taxpayer funding. The new bridge, which would have a weight limit of 40 tons and 32 feet (9.8 m) wide, caused New York State Department of Transportation to work with PennDOT to redesign the bridge. In May 2013, a deal was reached between all agencies, developing a new bridge that would be 22 feet (6.7 m) wide, with a single lane and sidewalk. The new bridge also got approval from the Federal Highway Administration despite the critics who thought it would be cheaper to build a road in Shohola Township side, which would be about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of new road. The new bridge would look similar to the original structure and would cost about $9 million (2013 USD) to construct. The 15-month project however would require the Delaware River to have the waters below rerouted for the construction. [17]
On July 14, 2014, PennDOT announced that they were opening bids on selling the Pond Eddy Bridge for people who wish to reassemble to use it as a bridge within the next ten years. The agency also sent out invitations for all municipalities in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. [18]
In October 2015, a dump truck carrying stone dust lost its brakes coming down the hill directly in front of the bridge; it crossed the bridge and crashed. The stress of the accident accelerated the replacement of the bridge. The replacement bridge was built about 50 feet (15 m) upstream from the original, and although modernized with more robust framing, retained the characteristic trusses. Demolition of the old bridge entered the final phase on November 6, 2018. The project was completed in November 2018. [19] [20]
Lumberland is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2020 census. The town is a rural community in the southwestern part of the county.
Tusten is a town in Sullivan County in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 1,405 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from Dr. Benjamin Tusten, a distinguished military leader killed when he refused to leave his troops at the Battle of Minisink.
New York State Route 97 (NY 97) is a 70.53-mile-long (113.51 km) north–south scenic route in southern New York in the United States. It runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) and US 209 in Port Jervis to NY 17 in Hancock. Its most famous feature is the Hawk's Nest, a tightly winding section of the road along the Delaware River, located a few miles north of Port Jervis. NY 97 intersects NY 52 in Narrowsburg and indirectly connects to three Pennsylvania state highways due to its proximity to the state line.
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.
Pennsylvania Route 402 is a 29.24-mile (47.06 km) north–south state route in the Pennsylvania counties of Monroe and Pike. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 Business in the Smithfield Township village of Marshalls Creek. The northern terminus is at US 6 in Palmyra Township.
Interstate 95 (I-95) is a major north–south Interstate Highway that runs along the East Coast of the United States from Miami, Florida, north to the Canada–United States border at Houlton, Maine. In the state of Pennsylvania, it runs 51.00 miles (82.08 km) from the Delaware state line near Marcus Hook in Delaware County in the southeastern part of the state northeast to the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge at the New Jersey state line near Bristol in Bucks County, closely paralleling the New Jersey state line for its entire length through Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Route 291 is an east–west state route in Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 13 and US 13 Business in Trainer, Delaware County, east to Interstate 76 (I-76) in South Philadelphia near the Walt Whitman Bridge and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Except for a short 1-mile (1.6 km) section between the western terminus and the Chester/Trainer line, PA 291 is mostly a four-lane highway. From the western terminus to the eastern part of Chester, the route has a concurrency with US 13. It runs parallel to the Delaware River for much of the route. The route passes through industrial areas near the river in Delaware County, serving Chester, Eddystone, Essington, and Lester. PA 291 enters Philadelphia near the Philadelphia International Airport, at which point it has an interchange with I-95. The route crosses the Schuylkill River on the George C. Platt Memorial Bridge and continues along Penrose Avenue to I-76. It has been designated the Industrial Heritage Highway.
Barryville is a hamlet in Highland, Sullivan County, New York, United States. Previously known as "The River," the hamlet was renamed for William T. Barry, postmaster general under President Andrew Jackson.
Pennsylvania Route 926 is a 26.2-mile-long (42.2 km) state route located west of Philadelphia in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 10 in Upper Oxford Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 3 in the Philadelphia suburb of Willistown Township. The route is known as Street Road for its entire length. For 0.9 miles (1.4 km), PA 926 runs along the county line between Delaware and Chester counties. The route passes through a mix of suburban and rural areas along its extent. PA 926 is two lanes and undivided its entire length.
Pennsylvania Route 652 is a 10.559-mile-long (16.993 km) east–west state highway located in the northeast Pennsylvania county of Wayne. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 6 in the Texas Township community of Indian Orchard. The highways heads to the northeast, and reaches the eastern terminus at the New York-Pennsylvania border in Damascus Township, where PA 652 crosses the Narrowsburg–Darbytown Bridge over the Delaware River and into New York, continuing as New York State Route 52 and County Route 24 in Sullivan County.
The Narrowsburg–Darbytown Bridge is an arch under bridge spanning the Delaware River between Darbytown, Pennsylvania and Narrowsburg, New York. It carries Pennsylvania Route 652 and New York State Route 52. Narrowsburg is located in the town of Tusten, but the hamlet along the river's edge is known as Narrowsburg because it is the narrowest part of the River.
The Skinners Falls–Milanville Bridge is a bridge spanning the Delaware River between Milanville, Pennsylvania, and Cochecton, New York, in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, and Sullivan County, New York. The bridge is 470 feet (140 m) long and holds one single lane of Skinners Falls Road, a local road. The bridge was constructed by the American Bridge Company and funded by the Milanville Bridge Company. The bridge replaced a ferry run by raftsman Daniel Skinner and his family. The bridge opened in 1902 and remained in service up until recently. It is one of several bridges in Sullivan County that are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Roebling Aqueduct and Pond Eddy Bridge. The bridge is located with the Milanville Historic District.
The Barryville–Shohola Bridge is the fifth generation of bridges constructed over the Delaware River at the communities of Shohola Township, Pennsylvania and Barryville, New York. The bridge serves both communities, with two major state legislative highways, Pennsylvania Traffic Route 434 and New York State Touring Route 55. The bridge itself is 812 feet (247 m) long and is 23 feet (7.0 m) wide, using four total spans across the river. It is maintained by the NY–PA Joint Interstate Bridge Commission, which is jointly owned by the states of New York and Pennsylvania.
Chauncey Thomas, was one of eleven children born to mill owner and entrepreneur Moses Thomas and his wife, Rebecca Monington. On his father's side of the family, his grandfather Moses Thomas had been killed by Indians near Narrowsburg during the French and Indian War. On his maternal side, the Monington family of Philadelphia had come to the Delaware valley from Gloucester, England in the early 18th century.
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Pond Eddy is an unincorporated community in Shohola Township and Westfall Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States.
The Cochecton–Damascus Bridge, sometimes called the Cochecton Dam Road Bridge, crosses the Delaware River in the United States between the unincorporated hamlet of Cochecton, in Sullivan County, New York, and Damascus Township, in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. On the Pennsylvania side it is the eastern terminus of State Route 371; in New York its approach road is County Route 114. It was built in 1950; bridges have crossed the river at that point since 1819.
Pond Eddy is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States, located along the Delaware River, marking the border between New York and Pennsylvania. It is historically significant and also rich in natural beauty, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities. Located along the scenic Delaware River in Sullivan County, Pond Eddy offers a peaceful escape into nature, surrounded by forests and abundant wildlife.
The New York–Pennsylvania Joint Interstate Bridge Commission, or simply the Joint Interstate Bridge Commission, is an interstate agency jointly owned by the states of New York and Pennsylvania. The commission was formed in 1919 by the two states to manage the crossings of the Delaware River that connected them. It currently maintains and operates 10 toll-free bridges from the New Jersey–Pennsylvania state line to the end of Pennsylvania and New York's shared border along the Delaware River.