George C. Platt Bridge
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| George C. Platt Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Official name | George C. Platt Memorial Bridge |
| Carries | 4 lanes of PA 291 (Penrose Avenue) |
| Crosses | Schuylkill River |
| Locale | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Maintained by | PennDOT |
| Design | Through truss bridge |
| Opening date | 1949 [1] |
The George C. Platt Memorial Bridge is a through truss bridge that carries PA 291 (Penrose Avenue) over the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It was opened to traffic in 1951, replacing ferry service across the Schuylkill. Originally called the Penrose Avenue Bridge, it was renamed in the late 1970s to honor Civil War hero George Crawford Platt (1842-1912).
The bridge passes over the former Gulf Oil (now Sun Oil) refinery. It has been put in peril a few times by fires at the refinery. On August 17, 1975, fire broke out in a tank being filled with Venezuelan crude oil to the northeast of the bridge.[2] As the fire enveloped much of the refinery, several explosions put a large crack in a smokestack next to the bridge. Officials closed the bridge for several hours, fearing that the stack might collapse or the fire might damage the bridge.
In 1986, two bronze bas-reliefs of General Platt's face were mounted on poles at either end of the bridge. The works were commissioned by Platt's great-great-grandson, Lawrence Griffin Platt, who raised $10,000 with the help of a former Gulf Oil executive, and sculpted by Philadelphia artist Reginald E. Beauchamp. Both were later stolen; the first in 1987, and the second some time later. A $500 reward offered by the Philadelphia Daily News in 2002 was unsuccessful in securing their return.[3]
Location:
[edit] References
- ^ southphillyreview.com
- ^ http://www.phillyfirenews.com/ootp/gulffire.aspx. The fire also killed eight firefighters.
- ^ Hinkleman, Michael (September 19, 2002). "Stolen bridge signs still unaccounted for; $500 reward for markers taken in late '80s". The Philadelphia Daily News: M08.
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