East Bloomsburg Bridge
East Bloomsburg Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°59′N 76°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]
Description
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was 1,150 feet (350 m) long. Prior to its demolition and reconstruction, the bridge was made up of six
The East Bloomsburg Bridge crosses the Susquehanna River between Bloomsburg and
The East Bloomsburg Bridge was constructed with
History and construction
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
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
Uses and legacy
After the construction of the East Bloomsburg Bridge, it was easier to directly access the
As of 1987, the East Bloomsburg Bridge may be been the last bridge in Pennsylvania to have "Pennsylvania"-style trusses.[1]
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
- List of crossings of the Susquehanna River
Notes
- ^ The precursor to the modern-day Pennsylvania Route 61
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k East Bloomsburg Bridge Spanning the Susquehaima River at Pennsylvania (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-05
- ^ a b c d e f Modjeski and Masters (November 1985), EAST BLOOMSBURG BRIDGE COLUMBIA COUNTY: HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD DOCUMENTATION, retrieved September 30, 2013
- ISBN 9780784473689, retrieved September 30, 2013
- ISBN 9780738572017, retrieved September 30, 2013
- ^ Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
- ^ Susan Zachar, Driving A Call to Action for Pennsylvania's Bridges, retrieved August 30, 2013
- ^ Robert P. Casey (December 5, 1988), FORT MCCLURE VETERANS MEMORIAL BRIDGE - DESIGNATION (PDF), retrieved August 30, 2013
- ^ USGS to add technology at East Bloomsburg Bridge, September 16, 2005, archived from the original on 2015-09-23