Chestnut Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Chestnut Street Bridge is a bridge across the Schuylkill River
that carries Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, USA. The original 1861 bridge was "a bridge whose scale and use of cast iron made it singular in the United States and throughout the world". The 1957 bridge, now one way, carries PA Route 3
eastbound and continues to help connect West Philadelphia
with the rest of the city.
, started on 4 September 1861. That bridge cost $500,000, was 1,528 feet (466 m) long, and was constructed of cast iron
, with approaches and piers of granite. When the bridge formally opened on 23 June 1866, it was the second connection between Center City Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, after the Market Street Bridge
.
In 1957, to make way for the Schuylkill Expressway
, the western pier of the bridge was removed, and the main spans of the bridge were replaced.
In 2011, a weight restriction was placed on it due to its age.
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
that carries Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, USA. The original 1861 bridge was "a bridge whose scale and use of cast iron made it singular in the United States and throughout the world". The 1957 bridge, now one way, carries PA Route 3
Pennsylvania Route 3
Pennsylvania Route 3 is a state highway located in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route connects West Chester with Philadelphia. The divided highway that comprises much of its route is the West Chester Pike, built as a turnpike by the Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company...
eastbound and continues to help connect West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
with the rest of the city.
History
Construction of the first Chestnut Street Bridge, designed by Strickland KneassStrickland Kneass
Strickland Kneass was a civil engineer. His most notable work is the 1866 cast iron Chestnut Street Bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Kneass attended Rensselaer Institute, where he graduated in 1839 at the age of 18.- References :*...
, started on 4 September 1861. That bridge cost $500,000, was 1,528 feet (466 m) long, and was constructed of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
, with approaches and piers of granite. When the bridge formally opened on 23 June 1866, it was the second connection between Center City Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, after the Market Street Bridge
Market Street Bridge (Philadelphia)
The existing Market Street Bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is located where Market Street now crosses the Schuylkill River. The bridge succeeded ferry boats and a couple of rudimentary floating bridges across the Schuylkill River...
.
In 1957, to make way for the Schuylkill Expressway
Schuylkill Expressway
The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as the Schuylkill, is a freeway through southwestern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania...
, the western pier of the bridge was removed, and the main spans of the bridge were replaced.
In 2011, a weight restriction was placed on it due to its age.
In Film
- In the popular film Shooter (2007 film), FBI agent Nick Memphis (Played by Michael PeñaMichael PeñaMichael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
) is abducted while walking across the Chestnut street bridge. - One episode of Hack (American TV series) was filmed on the bridge.