Foxburg Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Foxburg Bridge | |
|---|---|
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| Carries | Motor vehicles, pedestrians, PA 58, trains (1921-1964) |
| Crosses | Allegheny River |
| Locale | Foxburg, Pennsylvania |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Opening date | 1921 |
| Destruction date | 2009 |
| Toll | Free both ways |
The Foxburg Bridge is a through truss bridge in Foxburg, Pennsylvania.
Constructed in 1921, the bridge carries motor vehicles, and pedestrians over the Allegheny River between Armstrong County on the western side, and Foxburg in Clarion County on the eastern side.
The bridge is the third in a series of bridges that have crossed the Allegheny at this point. The first was a bowstring arch truss completed in the summer of 1873 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio. This span was 530 feet in length, with each span being 265 feet, and had one pier in the Allegheny River.
When railroad developments in the next decade necessitated a change this bridge was replaced by one made of wood. Work began on this in September 1882 and it was completed in April 1883. This new bridge was a two level bridge, where rail traffic would pass over its top and regular wagon and passenger traffic below. It was of the Howe truss type. It reused the abutments and tollhouse of its predecessor, but replaced the central pier with two river piers. The bridge served the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad, which later became part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
This wooden bridge remained in use for the next 38 years, when the railroad deemed it necessary to replace it. The present steel bridge was built by the Bethlehem Steel Bridge Corporation in 1921. The bridge was constructed in three parts adjacent to the old bridge. As each section was complete it was pushed into place by cranes and the old section pushed onto framework on the downstream side where it could be dismantled. The third and final section was put into place in October 1921.
Between 1921 and 1964, the bridge carried trains from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Northern Subdivision over the river. There is currently a new bridge under construction to replace the historic Foxburg Bridge. It is slated to open sometime in 2009.
