The Hill to Hill Bridge is a concrete arch bridge in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...

. It carries PA 378

Pennsylvania Route 378

Pennsylvania Route 378 is a north-to-south road in Lehigh and Northampton counties. Its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 22 in Bethlehem and the portion north of the Lehigh River is a freeway. The highway was once Interstate 378 but when Interstate 78 was rerouted from U.S...

 across the Lehigh River

Lehigh River

The Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware River, is a river located in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a Pennsylvania Scenic River by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources...

.

History

Construction on the Hill to Hill Bridge began on August 1, 1921, after many previous plans. The original bridge has nine approaches, eleven abutments, forty-eight piers, and fifty-eight spans. It was considered an engineering marvel when it was constructed. The bridge also contains two side ramps: one that connects to Main Street, and another that connects to Second Avenue (permanently closed to traffic). The bridge saw extensive repairs in 1990, and was painted in spring of 2009. The painting process had caused two of the four traffic lanes to be closed, and had resulted in major traffic congestion. The painting project was finished in time for the opening of the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

It is located in the Central Bethlehem Historic District

Central Bethlehem Historic District

Central Bethlehem Historic District is a national historic district located at Bethlehem, Lehigh County and Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 165 contributing buildings, 6 contributing sites , 9 contributing structures, and 4 contributing objects. It is primarily...

, 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...

in 1972, with a Boundary Increase in 1988.

External links

• Hill to Hill Bridge Details and History