Delaware River Viaduct
Encyclopedia
The Delaware River Viaduct is the sister bridge of the Paulinskill Viaduct
on the Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line between eastern Pennsylvania
and northwestern New Jersey
. Built in 1908-10, this reinforced concrete
bridge crosses the Delaware River
about two miles (3 km) south of the Delaware Water Gap
. It also crosses Slateford Road and the Lackawanna Railroad's "Old Road"
(now Delaware-Lackawanna) on the west side of the river, and Interstate 80
on the east (New Jersey) side of the river at that location.
The bridge is 1452 feet (442.6 m) long and 65 feet (19.8 m) high from water level to the top of the rail, and is composed of five 150 feet (45.7 m) spans and two 120 feet (36.6 m) spans. The footings were excavated down to bedrock, which ranges from 26 feet (7.9 m) to 53 feet (16.2 m) below the surface. A total of 51376 cubic feet (1,454.8 m³) of concrete and 627 tons of reinforcing steel were used to construct this bridge.
Construction of the bridge was described in an article by Abraham Burton Cohen
, then a draftsman for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
, who later went on to design the Tunkhannock Viaduct
, an even larger structure on the railroad's Summit-Hallstead Cutoff. The bridge was completed on December 1, 1910, about a year prior to the opening of the Cut-Off, which allowed construction trains to transport building materials to work sites east of the bridge.
Although the tracks were removed from the New Jersey portion of the Cut-Off by Conrail in 1984, the tracks remained on the Delaware River Viaduct until March 1989, when they were removed.
The viaduct has the distinction of being the largest reinforced concrete structure to have been built with a continuous pour process. In view of this, a legend has persisted that several workers lost their lives, and are buried in the bridge, because they fell into the concrete during construction and could not be saved because of the continuous pour process. While there is no evidence that this actually occurred, history books are silent on this point and neither support nor refute the oft-repeated story.
NJ Transit is in the planning stages for restoration of rail service along this line into Pennsylvania. According to their studies, the bridge has suffered severe deterioration and will need extensive rehabilitation, making this the most expensive part of the project.
Paulinskill Viaduct
The Paulinskill Viaduct, also known as the Hainesburg Viaduct, is a railroad bridge which crosses the Paulins Kill in Knowlton Township, New Jersey....
on the Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line between eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and northwestern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Built in 1908-10, this reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
bridge crosses the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
about two miles (3 km) south of the Delaware Water Gap
Delaware Water Gap
The Delaware Water Gap is on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania where the Delaware River cuts through a large ridge of the Appalachian Mountains...
. It also crosses Slateford Road and the Lackawanna Railroad's "Old Road"
Lackawanna Old Road
The Lackawanna Old Road was the main right-of-way of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in New Jersey from 1856 until the DL&W opened the Lackawanna Cut-Off in 1911...
(now Delaware-Lackawanna) on the west side of the river, and Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
on the east (New Jersey) side of the river at that location.
The bridge is 1452 feet (442.6 m) long and 65 feet (19.8 m) high from water level to the top of the rail, and is composed of five 150 feet (45.7 m) spans and two 120 feet (36.6 m) spans. The footings were excavated down to bedrock, which ranges from 26 feet (7.9 m) to 53 feet (16.2 m) below the surface. A total of 51376 cubic feet (1,454.8 m³) of concrete and 627 tons of reinforcing steel were used to construct this bridge.
Construction of the bridge was described in an article by Abraham Burton Cohen
Abraham Burton Cohen
Abraham Burton Cohen was an American civil engineer notable for his role in designing innovative and record-breaking concrete bridges such as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Tunkhannock Viaduct, the world's largest concrete structure when completed...
, then a draftsman for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
, who later went on to design the Tunkhannock Viaduct
Tunkhannock Viaduct
Tunkhannock Viaduct is a concrete deck arch bridge that spans the Tunkhannock Creek in Nicholson, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was the largest concrete bridge in the U.S. when it opened, and remained so even 50 years later.The bridge contains about of concrete and of steel...
, an even larger structure on the railroad's Summit-Hallstead Cutoff. The bridge was completed on December 1, 1910, about a year prior to the opening of the Cut-Off, which allowed construction trains to transport building materials to work sites east of the bridge.
Although the tracks were removed from the New Jersey portion of the Cut-Off by Conrail in 1984, the tracks remained on the Delaware River Viaduct until March 1989, when they were removed.
The viaduct has the distinction of being the largest reinforced concrete structure to have been built with a continuous pour process. In view of this, a legend has persisted that several workers lost their lives, and are buried in the bridge, because they fell into the concrete during construction and could not be saved because of the continuous pour process. While there is no evidence that this actually occurred, history books are silent on this point and neither support nor refute the oft-repeated story.
NJ Transit is in the planning stages for restoration of rail service along this line into Pennsylvania. According to their studies, the bridge has suffered severe deterioration and will need extensive rehabilitation, making this the most expensive part of the project.