Kinzua Bridge
Kinzua Bridge | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°45′40″N 78°35′19″W / 41.76111°N 78.58861°W |
Crossed | Kinzua Creek |
Locale | McKean, Pennsylvania, United States |
Other name(s) | Kinzua Viaduct |
Named for | Kinzua, Seneca for "fish on a spear" |
Maintained by | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
Characteristics | |
Design | Railroad bridge |
Total length | 2,052 ft (625 m)[1] |
Width | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Height | 301 ft (92 m)[1] |
History | |
Constructed by | Elmira Bridge Company |
Built | 1882 |
Collapsed | July 21, 2003 |
NRHP reference No. | 77001511 |
Added to NRHP | August 29, 1977 |
Location | |
The Kinzua Bridge or the Kinzua Viaduct (. The bridge was 301 feet (92 m) tall and 2,052 feet (625 m) long. Most of its structure collapsed during a tornado in July 2003.
Billed as the "
Restoration of the bridge began in 2002, but before it was finished a tornado struck the bridge in 2003, causing a large portion of the bridge to collapse. Corroded anchor bolts holding the bridge to its foundations failed, contributing to the collapse.
Before its collapse, the Kinzua Bridge was ranked as the fourth-tallest railway bridge in the United States.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1982. The ruins of the Kinzua Bridge are in Kinzua Bridge State Park off U.S. Route 6 near the borough of Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania.
Original construction and service
In 1882,
The first Kinzua Bridge was built by a crew of 40 from 1,552 short tons (1,408 t) of
The bridge was designed by the engineer Octave Chanute and was built by the Phoenix Iron Works, which specialized in producing patented, hollow iron tubes called "Phoenix columns".[4] Because of the design of these columns, it was often mistakenly believed that the bridge had been built out of wooden poles.[10] The bridge's 110 sandstone masonry piers were quarried from the hillside used for the foundation of the bridge.[1][4] The tallest tower had a base that was 193 feet (59 m) wide.[1] The bridge was designed to support a load of 266 short tons (241 t),[5] and was estimated to cost between $167,000 and $275,000.[8][11][12]
On completion, the bridge was the tallest railroad bridge in the world and was advertised as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".[3][10] Six of the bridge's 20 towers were taller than the Brooklyn Bridge.[1] Excursion trains from as far away as Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh would come just to cross the Kinzua Bridge,[10] which held the height record until the Garabit viaduct, 401 feet (122 m) tall, was completed in France in 1884.[13] Trains crossing the bridge were restricted to a speed of 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) because the locomotive, and sometimes the wind, caused the bridge to vibrate.[10] People sometimes visited the bridge in hopes of finding the loot of a bank robber, who supposedly hid $40,000 in gold and currency under or near it.[4][10]
Reconstruction and service
By 1893, the NYLE&W had gone bankrupt and was merged with the Erie Railroad, which became the owner of the bridge.[13] By the start of the 20th century, locomotives were almost 85 percent heavier and the iron bridge could no longer safely carry trains.[1] The last traffic crossed the old bridge on May 14, 1900, and removal of the old iron began on May 24.
The new bridge was designed by C.R. Grimm and was built by the Elmira Bridge Company out of 3,358 short tons (3,046 t) of steel, at a cost of $275,000.[14] Construction began on May 26, starting from both ends of the old bridge. A crew of between 100 and 150 worked 10-hour days for almost four months to complete the new steel frame. Two Howe truss "timber travelers", each 180 feet (50 m) long and 16 feet (5 m) deep, were used to build the towers.[15] Each "traveler" was supported by a pair of the original wrought-iron towers, separated by the one that was to be replaced. After the middle tower was demolished and a new steel one built in its place, the traveler was moved down the line by one tower and the process was repeated. Construction of each new tower and the spans adjoining it took one week to complete.[15] The bolts used to hold the towers to the anchor blocks were reused from the first bridge, which would eventually play a major role in the bridge's demise.[16] Grimm, the designer of the bridge, later admitted that the bolts should have been replaced.[17]
The Kinzua Viaduct reopened to traffic on September 25, 1900. The new bridge was able to safely accommodate Erie's heavy 2-8-2 Mikados. The Erie Railroad maintained a station at the Kinzua Viaduct. Constructed between 1911 and 1916,[18] the station was not manned by an agent.[19] The station was closed sometime between 1923 and 1927.[20][21]
Train crews would sometimes play a trick on a brakeman on his first journey on the line. When the train was a short distance from the bridge, the crew would send the brakeman over the rooftops of the cars to check on a small supposed problem. As the train crossed the bridge, the rookie "suddenly found himself terrified, staring down three hundred feet (90 m) from the roof of a rocking boxcar".[13] Even after being reconstructed, the bridge still had a speed limit of 5 miles per hour (8 km/h). As the bridge aged, heavy trains pulled by two steam locomotives had to stop so the engines could cross the bridge one at a time. Diesel locomotives were lighter and did not face that limit; the last steam locomotive for commercial service crossed on October 5, 1950.[13]
The Erie Railroad obtained
Creation of state park
Nick Kovalchick, head of the Kovalchick Salvage Company, which then owned the bridge, was reluctant to dismantle it. On seeing it for the first time he is supposed to have said "There will never be another bridge like this."
An access road to the park was built in 1974, and new facilities there included a parking lot, drinking water and toilets, and installation of a fence on the bridge deck.
The Knox and Kane Railroad (KKRR) operated sightseeing trips from Kane through the Allegheny National Forest and over the Kinzua Bridge from 1987 until the bridge was closed in 2002.[25] In 1988 it operated the longest steam train excursion in the United States, a 97-mile (156 km) round trip to the bridge from the village of Marienville in Forest County, with a stop in Kane. The New York Times described being on the bridge as "more akin to ballooning than railroading" and noted "You stare straight out with nothing between you and an immense sea of verdure a hundred yards [91 m] below."[26] The railroad still operated excursions through the forest and stopped at the bridge's western approach until October 2004.[25]
As of 2009, Kinzua Bridge State Park is a 329-acre (133 ha)
Bridge collapse
Since 2002, the Kinzua Bridge had been closed to all "recreational pedestrian and railroad usage" after it was determined that the structure was at risk to high winds.
On July 21, 2003, construction workers had packed up and were starting to leave for the day when a storm arrived.[28] A tornado spawned by the storm struck the Kinzua Bridge, snapping and uprooting nearby trees, as well as causing 11 of the 20 bridge towers to collapse. There were no deaths or injuries. The tornado was produced by a mesoscale convective system (MCS), a complex of strong thunderstorms, that had formed over an area that included eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, western New York, and southern Ontario.[29] The MCS traveled east at around 40 miles per hour (60 km/h). As the MCS crossed northwestern Pennsylvania, it formed into a distinctive comma shape. The northern portion of the MCS contained a long-lived mesocyclone, a thunderstorm with a rotating updraft that is often conducive to tornados.[30]
At approximately 15:20 EDT (19:20 UTC), the tornado touched down in Kinzua Bridge State Park, 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Kinzua Bridge. The tornado, classified as F1 on the Fujita scale, passed by the bridge and continued another 2.5 miles (4 km) before it lifted. It touched down again 2 miles (3 km) from Smethport and traveled another 3 miles (4.8 km) before finally dissipating. It was estimated to have been 1⁄3-mile (540 m) wide and it left a path 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long.[31] The same storm also spawned an F3 tornado in nearby Potter County.[32]
When the tornado touched down, the winds had increased to at least 94 miles per hour (151 km/h) and were coming from the east, perpendicular to the bridge, which ran north–south. An investigation determined that Towers 10 and 11 had collapsed first, in a westerly direction.[33] Meanwhile, Towers 12 through 14 had actually been picked up off their foundations, moved slightly to the northwest and set back down intact and upright, held together by only the railroad tracks on the bridge. Next, towers four through nine collapsed to the west, twisting clockwise, as the tornado started to move northward.[33] As it moved north, inflow winds came in from the south and caused Towers 12, 13, and 14 to finally collapse towards the north, twisting counterclockwise.[33]
The failures were caused by the badly-rusted iron base bolts holding the bases of the towers to concrete anchor blocks embedded into the ground.
Aftermath
The state decided not to rebuild the Kinzua Bridge, which would have cost an estimated $45 million. Instead, it was proposed that the ruins be used as a visitor attraction to show the forces of nature at work.
The
Sky Walk
The state of Pennsylvania reimagined the Kinzua State Park as one anchored by a "sky walk" viewing platform and network of hiking trails. It released $700,000 to design repairs on the remaining towers and plan development of the new park facilities in June 2005.
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
- List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
- National Register of Historic Places listings in McKean County, Pennsylvania
- Tornadoes of 2003
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Kinzua Railway Viaduct". Historic Landmarks. American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
- ^ Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 223.
- ^ a b "Tornado Tears Down Historic Kinzua Viaduct". Trains. 63 (10): 25. October 2003.
- ^ OCLC 57046003.
- ^ a b "Removal of Kinzua Viaduct" (PDF). The New York Times. August 21, 1890. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Kinzua Bridge State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
- ^ Packard 1977, sec. 8.
- ^ a b c Packard 1977, sec. 7.
- ^ a b "High Winds Topple Historic Railroad Bridge". Pittsburgh Post–Gazette. Associated Press. July 22, 2003. Retrieved October 3, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Thornton, W. George (August 1949). "Tracks across the Sky". Erie Railroad Magazine: 4–7.
- ^ "Notable new bridges". Railway World. 32: 77. January 28, 1888.
- ^ "The Kinzua Viaduct". Engineering. 34: 613. December 29, 1882.
- ^ a b c d e "Kinzua Viaduct". Historical Markers. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. 2003. Retrieved June 23, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Officials fear popular PA tourist attraction is near collapse". USA Today. Associated Press. December 22, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ a b Packard 1977, sec. 7, p. 1.
- ^ "Structural Analysis - Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct" (PDF). October 9, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ISSN 0066-0604.
- ^ "Erie Time Tables" (PDF). Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. August 1911. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ "List of Station Names and Numbers", Baggage Department, Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad, May 1, 1916
- ^ Erie Railroad With Branches and Connections (Map). Cartography by M.B. Brown. New York City: P & B Company. 1923. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ "Erie Railroad Time Tables" (PDF). Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. August 21, 1927. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 0-89271-056-X.
- ^ OCLC 17824084.
- ^ United States Department of the Interior; National Park Service (February 6, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places: Annual Listing of Historic Properties" (PDF). Federal Register. 44 (26). National Archives of the United States: 7577. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Milliron, Kyle (September 24, 2008). "Knox & Kane Railroad to sell entire inventory during auction". The Bradford Era. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ Behrman, Dan (May 8, 1988). "Steaming Through Pennsylvania: From Amish country westward, old rail lines offer excursions to mines and picnic grounds". The New York Times. p. XX14. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- ^ McKay, Gretchen (September 15, 2013). "Kinzua colors: Reborn bridge offers spectacular views of fall foliage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
- ^ Gannett Fleming (December 2003). "Appendix D: Eyewitness Accounts Construction Crew of the W.M. Brode Company" (PDF). Report on the July 21st Collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct (Report). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ Leech, McHaugh & Dicarlantonio 2005, p. 5.
- ^ Markowski, Paul (December 2003). "Meteorological Aspects of the 21 July 2003 Kinzua Viaduct Storm" (PDF). Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct (Report). Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 22, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center. July 21, 2003. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
- ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center. July 21, 2003. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
- ^ a b c Gannett Fleming (December 2003). "Initiation of Failure". Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct (Report). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2009.
- ^ Gannett Fleming (December 2003). "Mechanics of Collapse". Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct (Report). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ Gannett Fleming (December 2003). "Executive Summary". Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct (Report). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on September 22, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ Society for Industrial Archeology Newsletter. 34 (4): 10–11. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ "Emergency Repair Work Begins on Kinzua Bridge in McKean County" (Press release). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. February 27, 2003. Archived from the original on July 7, 2003. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
- ^ "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Archived from the original on February 3, 2004. Retrieved August 8, 2007. Note: Despite the title, there are twenty-one parks in the list, with Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks treated as one.
- ISBN 1-4229-0939-5.
- ^ "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 7/19/04 through 7/23/04". National Park Service. July 30, 2004. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c Lutz, Ted (October 10, 2008). "'Slim' chance is seen for tourist train". The Kane Republican.
- ^ "Governor Rendell announces release of $700,000 for Kinzua Bridge State Park". Resource (newsletter). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. June 21, 2005. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
- ^ Lutz, Ted (September 16, 2011). "Ribbon cut to mark opening of Kinzua Sky Walk". The Kane Republican. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ "Visitors Invited to Walk Out and Observe Valley Below on Restored Portion of Viaduct at Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean Count" (Press release). Pennsylvania Department of Conversation and Natural Resources. September 15, 2011. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
Sources
- Leech, Thomas G; McHaugh, Jonathan D; Dicarlantonio, George (November 2005). "Lessons from the Kinzua". Civil Engineering. 75 (11). American Society of Civil Engineers: 56–61. ISSN 0885-7024.
- Packard, Vance (January 25, 1977). "Kinzua Viaduct" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
External links
- Kinzua Railway Viaduct Historic Civil landmark at the American Society of Civil Engineers site
- "Collapse at Kinzua" (Open University)
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-7, "Erie Railway, Bradford Division, Bridge 27.66 (Kinzua Viaduct)"
- "Report on the July 21st Collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2007.
Preceding station | Erie Railroad | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Riderville toward Carrollton
|
Bradford Division | Mount Jewett toward Johnsonburg
|