Manayunk Bridge
| Manayunk Bridge | |
|---|---|
|
Manayunk Bridge in 1999. | |
| Coordinates | 40°01′31″N 75°13′35″W / 40.02528°N 75.22639°WCoordinates: 40°01′31″N 75°13′35″W / 40.02528°N 75.22639°W |
| Carries | Former SEPTA Ivy Ridge Line |
| Crosses | Schuylkill River and Schuylkill Expressway |
| Locale | Manayunk, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Other name(s) | Manayunk Viaduct |
| Maintained by | SEPTA |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Open spandrel deck arch |
| Material | Concrete |
| Longest span | 150 feet (46 m) |
| Number of spans | 15 |
| Piers in water | 3 |
| History | |
| Designer | Pennsylvania Railroad |
| Constructed by | T. L. Eyre (Philadelphia) |
| Construction end | 1918 |
| Closed | 1986 |
The Manayunk Bridge (a.k.a. Manayunk Viaduct) is a historic bridge in Pennsylvania across the Schuylkill River and adjacent Schuylkill Canal between Bala Cynwyd in Montgomery County and the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is now used as an extension of the Cynwyd Heritage Trail to connect to the Schuylkill River Trail after a rail-to-trail conversion.
History
Built by the former Schuylkill Valley Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, it is a large concrete open spandrel arch bridge built on a reverse curve, earning both the current bridge and its 1883 wrought-iron-truss predecessor the nickname of "S-Bridge."[1] The bridge's challenging geometry was executed by T. L. Eyre, a Philadelphia contractor. Another notable feature is the saw-toothed construction joints along a 65-degree skew.[2]
In 1976, SEPTA purchased the bridge for its Ivy Ridge Line (now Cynwyd Line). Ten years later, after weather-related expansion and contraction of the bridge, and the shedding of pieces of concrete due to spalling, SEPTA closed the bridge on October 25, 1986, truncating service at Cynwyd and suspended service to three of the line's six stations (Ivy Ridge, Manayunk, and Walnut Hill). Between 1996 and 1999, the bridge was stabilized and refurbished.[3] The effort determined that the internal steel reinforcement was not compromised, as SEPTA had feared.[1] Further investigation by Urban Engineers determined that the bridge was safe and only needed surface work to stop the spalling.[1]
Nevertheless, SEPTA did not restart train service to Ivy Ridge.[1][4] Instead, the agency repeatedly tried to terminate the remaining Cynwyd service due to its lower ridership. A small but active community-based ridership protest in 1997 convinced SEPTA not only to retain service to Cynwyd but to also expand service.[4] Still, SEPTA managed to decline to reopen the Manayunk Bridge and restore service to Ivy Ridge due to its operating expense.
Manayunk Bridge Trail
Between 2008 and June 2010, SEPTA removed all 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of tracks north of Cynwyd for the Cynwyd Heritage Rail Trail[5] and Ivy Ridge Rail Trail.[6]
On October 30, 2015 the ribbon was cut on the Manayunk Bridge Trail, a conversion of the bridge for use by people walking and bicycling. Designed by Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP, the trail features separate areas for walking and bicycling, along with a shared plaza in the center of the bridge that can be programmed for special events. Railings and fencing are in keeping with the historic industrial nature of the bridge.
Further reading
- Garforth, Harry, Jr. (1999). Rails Through Manayunk. Telford, PA: Silver Brook Junction Publishing Company.
- Bezilla, Michael (1980). Electric Traction on the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1895-1968. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 0271002417.
See also
- List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
- List of crossings of the Schuylkill River
References
- 1 2 3 4 Spivey, Justin M. (April 2000). "Pennsylvania Railroad, Manayunk Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ↑ Wolf, Albert M. (February 9, 1918). "New Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge at Manayunk, Pa.". Railway Review 62 (6): 194–199.
- ↑ Veksler, Rafail; Thorat, Abhay P. (September 1999). "The Arch Bridge Mystery". Civil Engineering 69 (9): 48–51.
- 1 2 Williams, Gerry (1999). Trains, Trolleys & Transit: A Guide to Philadelphia Area Rail Transit. Railpace Newsmagazine. p. 84.
- ↑ cynwydtrail.org
- ↑ Ivy Ridge Green
External links
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-551, "Pennsylvania Railroad, Manayunk Bridge, Spanning Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), Schuylkill River & Green Lane, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA", 15 photos, 1 color transparency, 4 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
| |||||||||