Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge, officially the Veterans Memorial Bridge, spanning the Susquehanna River
between Columbia
and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
, is commonly associated with the name “Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge,” (Because Veterans Memorial Bridge is ambiguous) although five other former and present-day bridges share this distinction. (See below.) The bridge is located
Construction of the Veterans Memorial Bridge (once called the Lancaster-York Intercounty Bridge), began in 1929, and the bridge opened September 30, 1930, with the two lanes that exist today. On Armistice Day (Veterans Day) 1980, it was dedicated as yet another Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Designed by James B. Long and built by Glen Wiley and Glenway Maxon (Wiley-Maxon Construction Company), it cost $2,484,000 (equal to $ today) plus $56,400 (equal to $ today) paid as an early completion bonus. Constructed of reinforced concrete, the 5183 feet (1,579.8 m)-long bridge (7,374 feet including spans over land) has 27 river piers, 22 approach piers, a 38 feet (11.6 m)-wide roadway, and a 6 feet (1.8 m)-wide sidewalk. 100000 cubic yards (76,455.5 m³) of concrete and 8 million pounds of steel reinforcing rods were used, and coffer dams were built to aid in construction. Each span consists of three separate concrete ribs connected at five points by horizontal concrete struts, with the longest span measuring 185 feet (56.4 m).
In nominating the present Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge as an engineering landmark, the Pennsylvania section of the American Society of Civil Engineers
noted that it is "a splendid example of the graceful multiple-span, reinforced-concrete arched form popular in early 20th Century highway bridges in the United States." The bridge is designated State Route 462 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, and is also a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Instead of being replaced by a name such as the Old Lincoln Highway, its name is a kept part of the historic Lincoln Highway
in local naming, (meaning it'd previously carried U.S. Highway 30 which as a modern four lane highway parallel's this older earlier road and lead to the two lane stretch being renamed Route 462 as it is today), the nation's first transcontinental highway, connecting a series of local highways and stretching from New York City to San Francisco. The opening in 1940 of the cross-state Pennsylvania Turnpike
, a part of Interstate 76, subsequently provided faster passage.
Tolls of 25 cents per vehicle (equal to $ today) were charged when the bridge first opened and ended on January 31, 1943, when the bond issue was retired. Some time after World War II
, the original bridge lights were replaced with newer lighting. Two of the original bronze light fixtures can still be seen on the front lawn of the Frank Sahd Salvage Center along Route 462 in Columbia.
In the 1970s, the state considered closing the bridge permanently due to the recently constructed Wright's Ferry Bridge
nearby, but local residents objected. In the mid-1970s, it was given a major overhaul instead, and was closed only temporarily. A few years later, the bridge was once again closed briefly so that a weather-resistant coating could be applied to the roadway. Today the bridge is maintained by PennDOT and is still considered the world’s longest concrete multiple-arch bridge. Its annual average daily traffic (AADT) was 10,350 as of 2004. It is the fifth bridge to span the river at this general location.
The other present-day Columbia-Wrightsville bridge is the Wright's Ferry Bridge
, the sixth bridge to cross the river between the two towns. Also known as the Route 30 bridge, it stands about half a mile north of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. (Wright's Ferry
was one of the original names of Columbia.) G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. began its construction in March 1969, and the bridge opened on November 21, 1972. It was commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 1960s to relocate Route 30 and bypass the river towns of Wrightsville and Columbia. Costing $12 million (equal to $ today), it is constructed of reinforced concrete and steel and has 46 equal sections on 45 piers. U.S. Route 30 crosses it as a divided two-lane roadway, and there is no walkway. Tolls were never collected on this bridge. About a year after its opening, the bridge was shut down briefly so that an experimental weather-resistant coating could be applied to its roadway.
also included a wooden roof, a whitewashed interior and openings in its wooden sides to view the river and surrounding areas. It stood immediately south of the present-day Wright’s Ferry Bridge along Route 30. Tolls were $1.50 for a wagon and six horses (equal to $ today), and six cents for pedestrians (equal to $ today). It was considered the longest covered bridge in the world at the time. The bridge accommodated east-west traffic across the Susquehanna River for 14 years before being destroyed by ice, high water and severe weather on February 5, 1832.
The structure was modified in 1840 by the Canal Company at a cost of $40,000 (equal to $ today) concurrent with the construction of the Wrightsville Dam
. Towpaths of different levels and with sidewalls were added to prevent horses from falling into river, as happened several times when the river flooded. The roof of the lower path formed the floor of upper path. In this way, canal boats were towed across the river from the Pennsylvania Canal
on the Columbia side to the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
at Wrightsville.
Sometime after 1846, a double-track railway was added, linking the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad to the Northern Central Railway
. Due to fear of fire caused by locomotives, rail cars were pulled across the bridge by teams of mules or horses.
troops across the river from the Wrightsville (York County) side during the Civil War, the bridge was burned by Union militia
under Maj.
Granville O. Haller
and Col. Jacob G. Frick
on June 28, 1863. Civilian volunteers from Columbia had mined the bridge at the fourth span from the Wrightsville side, originally hoping to drop the whole 200 feet (61 m) span into the river, but when the charges were detonated, only small portions of the support arch splintered, leaving the span passable. As Confederates advanced onto the bridge, Union forces set fire to it near the Wrightsville side. Earlier they had saturated the structure with crude oil from a Columbia refinery.
The entire structure soon caught fire and completely burned in six hours. Confederate generals Jubal A. Early and John B. Gordon had originally planned to save the bridge despite orders from General Robert E. Lee
to burn it, and Union forces under the command of Colonel Jacob G. Frick had burned the bridge, originally hoping to defend and save it. Afterwards, the Columbia Bank and Bridge Company appealed to the federal government for reimbursement for damages incurred from the bridge burning, but none were ever paid. Conservative estimates put the cost of damages with interest today at well over $170 million.
In 1864, the bank sold all interest in the bridge and bridge piers to the Pennsylvania Railroad
for $57,000 (equal to $ today). The bank eventually went out of business, although the original building is now being renovated into a museum at Second and Locust Streets.
The bridge remained uncompleted because a planned upper deck was never built. With the completion of the Lincoln Highway in 1925, vehicular traffic routinely jammed in the late 1920s when vehicles had to wait for trains to pass before crossing the bridge, since the bridge was shared with rail traffic. A fifth bridge (Veterans’ Memorial Bridge) was planned and erected to accommodate vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The “Iron Bridge” carried passenger trains until 1954 and freight traffic until March 13, 1958, and was dismantled for scrap starting in 1963 and ending in November 1964. Its stone piers, dating to pre-Civil War times, still stand today, running parallel to the north side of the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge.
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
between Columbia
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
Wrightsville is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,310 at the 2010 census. Wrightsville borough has a police department, historic society, and a volunteer fire company.- History :According to a plaque at Samuel S...
, is commonly associated with the name “Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge,” (Because Veterans Memorial Bridge is ambiguous) although five other former and present-day bridges share this distinction. (See below.) The bridge is located
Construction of the Veterans Memorial Bridge (once called the Lancaster-York Intercounty Bridge), began in 1929, and the bridge opened September 30, 1930, with the two lanes that exist today. On Armistice Day (Veterans Day) 1980, it was dedicated as yet another Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Designed by James B. Long and built by Glen Wiley and Glenway Maxon (Wiley-Maxon Construction Company), it cost $2,484,000 (equal to $ today) plus $56,400 (equal to $ today) paid as an early completion bonus. Constructed of reinforced concrete, the 5183 feet (1,579.8 m)-long bridge (7,374 feet including spans over land) has 27 river piers, 22 approach piers, a 38 feet (11.6 m)-wide roadway, and a 6 feet (1.8 m)-wide sidewalk. 100000 cubic yards (76,455.5 m³) of concrete and 8 million pounds of steel reinforcing rods were used, and coffer dams were built to aid in construction. Each span consists of three separate concrete ribs connected at five points by horizontal concrete struts, with the longest span measuring 185 feet (56.4 m).
In nominating the present Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge as an engineering landmark, the Pennsylvania section of the American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
noted that it is "a splendid example of the graceful multiple-span, reinforced-concrete arched form popular in early 20th Century highway bridges in the United States." The bridge is designated State Route 462 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and is also a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Instead of being replaced by a name such as the Old Lincoln Highway, its name is a kept part of the historic Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
in local naming, (meaning it'd previously carried U.S. Highway 30 which as a modern four lane highway parallel's this older earlier road and lead to the two lane stretch being renamed Route 462 as it is today), the nation's first transcontinental highway, connecting a series of local highways and stretching from New York City to San Francisco. The opening in 1940 of the cross-state Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
, a part of Interstate 76, subsequently provided faster passage.
Tolls of 25 cents per vehicle (equal to $ today) were charged when the bridge first opened and ended on January 31, 1943, when the bond issue was retired. Some time after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the original bridge lights were replaced with newer lighting. Two of the original bronze light fixtures can still be seen on the front lawn of the Frank Sahd Salvage Center along Route 462 in Columbia.
In the 1970s, the state considered closing the bridge permanently due to the recently constructed Wright's Ferry Bridge
Wright's Ferry Bridge
The Wright's Ferry Bridge carries U.S. Route 30 over the Susquehanna River between Columbia, Pennsylvania and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania and commemorates the first ferry crossing the Susquehanna is therefore considered a Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, the fifth, though the fourth...
nearby, but local residents objected. In the mid-1970s, it was given a major overhaul instead, and was closed only temporarily. A few years later, the bridge was once again closed briefly so that a weather-resistant coating could be applied to the roadway. Today the bridge is maintained by PennDOT and is still considered the world’s longest concrete multiple-arch bridge. Its annual average daily traffic (AADT) was 10,350 as of 2004. It is the fifth bridge to span the river at this general location.
The other present-day Columbia-Wrightsville bridge is the Wright's Ferry Bridge
Wright's Ferry Bridge
The Wright's Ferry Bridge carries U.S. Route 30 over the Susquehanna River between Columbia, Pennsylvania and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania and commemorates the first ferry crossing the Susquehanna is therefore considered a Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, the fifth, though the fourth...
, the sixth bridge to cross the river between the two towns. Also known as the Route 30 bridge, it stands about half a mile north of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. (Wright's Ferry
Wright's Ferry
Wright's Ferry was an animal powered ferry established by John Wright in 1730, and the very first means of crossing the wide unfriendly Susquehanna in the counties of the lower half of the state of Pennsylvaniaand directly triggered Cresap's War between the Province of Maryland and Pennsylvania...
was one of the original names of Columbia.) G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. began its construction in March 1969, and the bridge opened on November 21, 1972. It was commissioned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 1960s to relocate Route 30 and bypass the river towns of Wrightsville and Columbia. Costing $12 million (equal to $ today), it is constructed of reinforced concrete and steel and has 46 equal sections on 45 piers. U.S. Route 30 crosses it as a divided two-lane roadway, and there is no walkway. Tolls were never collected on this bridge. About a year after its opening, the bridge was shut down briefly so that an experimental weather-resistant coating could be applied to its roadway.
First bridge
Construction of the first Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge was begun in 1812 and completed December 5, 1814, by J. Wolcott, H. Slaymaker, S. Slaymaker at a total cost of $231,771 (equal to $ today), which was underwritten by the newly formed Columbia Bank and Bridge Company. The bridge was 5690 feet (1,734.3 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and had 54 piers and twin carriageways. Constructed of wood and stone, the covered bridgeCovered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
also included a wooden roof, a whitewashed interior and openings in its wooden sides to view the river and surrounding areas. It stood immediately south of the present-day Wright’s Ferry Bridge along Route 30. Tolls were $1.50 for a wagon and six horses (equal to $ today), and six cents for pedestrians (equal to $ today). It was considered the longest covered bridge in the world at the time. The bridge accommodated east-west traffic across the Susquehanna River for 14 years before being destroyed by ice, high water and severe weather on February 5, 1832.
Second bridge
Construction of the second Columbia–Wrightsville Bridge, another covered bridge, started mid-1832 and was completed in 1834 (opening on July 8, 1834) by James Moore and John Evans at a cost of $157,300 (equal to $ today). It was 5620 feet (1,713 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide and also enjoyed the distinction of being the world’s longest covered bridge. The wood and stone structure had 27 piers, a carriageway, walkway, and two towpaths to guide canal traffic across the river. Tolls were $1.00 for a wagon and 6 horses (equal to $ today), and 6 cents per pedestrian (equal to $ today). Much of the mostly oak timber used in its construction was salvaged from the previous bridge. Its roof was covered with shingles, its sides with weatherboard, and its interior was whitewashed.The structure was modified in 1840 by the Canal Company at a cost of $40,000 (equal to $ today) concurrent with the construction of the Wrightsville Dam
Wrightsville (Columbia) Dam (1840)
The Wrightsville Dam was a 19th century dam on the lower Susquehanna River between Wrightsville and Columbia, Pennsylvania.The low-head dam was constructed in 1840 to impound the waters of the Susquehanna to provide a slackwater pool to allow the safe passage of canal boats from the Pennsylvania...
. Towpaths of different levels and with sidewalls were added to prevent horses from falling into river, as happened several times when the river flooded. The roof of the lower path formed the floor of upper path. In this way, canal boats were towed across the river from the Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal refers generally to a complex system of canals, dams, locks, tow paths, aqueducts, and other infrastructure including, in some cases, railroads in Pennsylvania...
on the Columbia side to the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal between Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the head of Chesapeake Bay, provided an interstate shipping alternative to 19th-century arks, rafts, and boats plying the difficult waters of the lower Susquehanna River...
at Wrightsville.
Sometime after 1846, a double-track railway was added, linking the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad to the Northern Central Railway
Northern Central Railway
The Northern Central Railway was a Class I Railroad connecting Baltimore, Maryland with Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Completed in 1858, the line came under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1861, when the PRR acquired a controlling interest in the Northern Central's stock to compete with the...
. Due to fear of fire caused by locomotives, rail cars were pulled across the bridge by teams of mules or horses.
The second bridge's role during the Civil War
To prevent the advance of ConfederateConfederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
troops across the river from the Wrightsville (York County) side during the Civil War, the bridge was burned by Union militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
under Maj.
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Granville O. Haller
Granville O. Haller
Granville Owen Haller was a noted Indian fighter and United States Army military officer, as well as a wealthy postbellum businessman in the Seattle, Washington, area...
and Col. Jacob G. Frick
Jacob G. Frick
Jacob Gilbert Frick was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his gallantry in action while serving as the colonel of the 129th Pennsylvania Infantry at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.-Civil War service:Eighteen...
on June 28, 1863. Civilian volunteers from Columbia had mined the bridge at the fourth span from the Wrightsville side, originally hoping to drop the whole 200 feet (61 m) span into the river, but when the charges were detonated, only small portions of the support arch splintered, leaving the span passable. As Confederates advanced onto the bridge, Union forces set fire to it near the Wrightsville side. Earlier they had saturated the structure with crude oil from a Columbia refinery.
The entire structure soon caught fire and completely burned in six hours. Confederate generals Jubal A. Early and John B. Gordon had originally planned to save the bridge despite orders from General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
to burn it, and Union forces under the command of Colonel Jacob G. Frick had burned the bridge, originally hoping to defend and save it. Afterwards, the Columbia Bank and Bridge Company appealed to the federal government for reimbursement for damages incurred from the bridge burning, but none were ever paid. Conservative estimates put the cost of damages with interest today at well over $170 million.
In 1864, the bank sold all interest in the bridge and bridge piers to the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
for $57,000 (equal to $ today). The bank eventually went out of business, although the original building is now being renovated into a museum at Second and Locust Streets.
Third bridge
Construction of the third Columbia-Wrightsville bridge was started in 1868 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The covered bridge (5,390 feet long) was completed later that year at a cost of $400,000 (equal to $ today). Built of stone, wood, and steel, it included 27 piers, a carriageway, railway, and walkway. It was destroyed September 30, 1896 by a hurricane.Fourth bridge
Construction of the fourth Columbia-Wrightsville bridge, known as the Pennsylvania Railroad “Iron Bridge,” started April 16, 1897, and was completed May 11, and was considered the fastest bridge-building job in the world at the time. A steel truss bridge made of 200 feet (61 m) long prefabricated sections, it was designed to be resistant to fire, ice, water and wind, elements that had destroyed previous wooden structures. Like the previous bridges, tolls were collected to recover a portion of the half-million dollar investment, equal to $ today. Built on the same 27 piers as the previous two bridges, it opened June 7, 1897. The iron and prefabricated steel structure had a railway to carry rail traffic for the York Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and twin carriageways that were shared with pedestrians. Tolls were 20 cents (equal to $ today) for vehicles and four cents per passenger (equal to $ today), and three cents for pedestrians (equal to $ today).The bridge remained uncompleted because a planned upper deck was never built. With the completion of the Lincoln Highway in 1925, vehicular traffic routinely jammed in the late 1920s when vehicles had to wait for trains to pass before crossing the bridge, since the bridge was shared with rail traffic. A fifth bridge (Veterans’ Memorial Bridge) was planned and erected to accommodate vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The “Iron Bridge” carried passenger trains until 1954 and freight traffic until March 13, 1958, and was dismantled for scrap starting in 1963 and ending in November 1964. Its stone piers, dating to pre-Civil War times, still stand today, running parallel to the north side of the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge.
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-473, "Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge"
- http://www.columbiapa.net/about.html
- http://www.columbiapaonline.com/
- http://www.rivertownes.org/Features/Crossings/Crossings.htm
- http://www.rivertownes.org/Features/Burning/storm_fw2b.htm
- http://www.civilwaralbum.com/misc6/columbia_wrightsville_bridge1.htm
- http://www.rivertownes.org/townes.htm
- Vital statistics, fifth bridge: http://www.yorkblog.com/yorktownsquare/2005/11/columbiawrightsville-bridge-ce.html