Hares Hill Road Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Hares Hill Road Bridge is a single-span, wrought iron, arched-shaped lattice girder
bridge
. It was built in 1869 in Chester County, Pennsylvania
by Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company
and is the only known surviving example of this kind. The bridge crosses French Creek
, a Scenic River
, and connects the Village of Kimberton, Pennsylvania
and Spring City, PA. The structure has a current load posting of 7 tons (7 short tons (6.4 MT) metric tons).
by Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company
. Abraham Taney, Jr., a mason contractor and fabricator, erected the bridge abutments in 1869. Stone masonry abutments support the superstructure and the open grid deck. Over the years, the bridge has had extensive rehabilitations.
The structure is listed in the National Register and has a high degree of historical and technological significance: it is the only known surviving example of Thomas William Moseley
’s patented "Wrought Iron
Lattice Girder
Bridge”. The bridge has been recorded for the Historic American Buildings Survey
/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS
/HAER) with detailed drawings, photographs and a substantial historical narrative. The structure carries one lane of traffic on S.R. 1045 (Hares Hill Road) across French Creek. Residences are located along the north bank of French Creek and a wooded area runs along the south bank.
The abutments are founded on rock and consist of random rubble mortared sandstone. They are 20 feet (6.1 m) long, 7 feet (2.1 m) wide at the base, have a batter of ½” to the foot, and are about 12 feet (3.7 m) high above low water. Concrete pedestals have replaced the original stone-bearing seats. Wing walls extend approximately 60 feet (18.3 m) with a slight flare on the south side. The north wings are about 20 feet (6.1 m) long.
The original superstructure
consisted of the 2 wrought-iron arched girders with lattice webbing and a timber floor system. The arch girders are made up of a pair of “Z-bars” riveted to a central plate diaphragm. Diagonal latticing fills the web between the upper and lower portions of the plate. Each arch has 7 vertical members which support the floor system, along with the lattice and bottom tie plate. Bowstring-type tie rods extend diagonally from the bottom of the center vertical on both sides of each arch.
The HABS/HAER narrative cites 3 major rehabilitations to 1991.
While the bridge is currently painted yellow, it was painted silver for many years and local residents still refer to it as the “Silver Bridge.”
In 2009, PennDoT
was programmed to spend $1.7 million to rehabilitate this bridge to improve its load capacity without interfering with its historical nature. On, 22 June 2010, the bridge was closed for the rehabilitation work. The US$826,689 restoration project is expected to last until October. The project will replace the open grate deck and the new deck will have a concrete center section for bicycle use. When completed, the load restriction is expected to be raised to 15 tons (15 short tons (13.6 MT) metric tons).
The Hares Hill Road bridge is scheduled to reopen on Friday December 10, 2010 according to PennDOT Press Release.
Lattice girder
A lattice girder is a girder where the flanges are connected by a lattice web. This type of design has been supplanted in modern construction with welded or bolted plate girders, which use more material but have lower fabrication and maintenance costs...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
. It was built in 1869 in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
by Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company
Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company
The Moseley Iron Bridge Company was founded by Thomas William Moseley in Cincinnati, Ohio around 1858 and existed until 1879. Moseley was an engineer, bridge builder, and designer. John Paul Verree used T.W.H...
and is the only known surviving example of this kind. The bridge crosses French Creek
French Creek (Schuylkill River)
French Creek, once known as Saukanac Creek, is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks and Chester counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.French Creek travels through French Creek State Park and joins the Schuylkill in Phoenixville...
, a Scenic River
Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers
Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers are rivers that are designated "scenic" according to the criteria of the Pennsylvania Scenic Rivers Act . The scenic rivers are managed by a variety of State agencies and local conservancies...
, and connects the Village of Kimberton, Pennsylvania
Kimberton, Pennsylvania
Kimberton is an unincorporated community in East Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The zip code is 19442. Originally settled in the late 18th century, it was not named until 1817. Like many surrounding villages, Kimberton developed around a tavern; in this case, the...
and Spring City, PA. The structure has a current load posting of 7 tons (7 short tons (6.4 MT) metric tons).
Structure Information
The Hares Hill Road Bridge is a single span, 103’- 4” long, wrought-iron, arch-shaped lattice girder structure. It was built in 1869 in Chester County, PennsylvaniaChester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
by Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company
Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company
The Moseley Iron Bridge Company was founded by Thomas William Moseley in Cincinnati, Ohio around 1858 and existed until 1879. Moseley was an engineer, bridge builder, and designer. John Paul Verree used T.W.H...
. Abraham Taney, Jr., a mason contractor and fabricator, erected the bridge abutments in 1869. Stone masonry abutments support the superstructure and the open grid deck. Over the years, the bridge has had extensive rehabilitations.
The structure is listed in the National Register and has a high degree of historical and technological significance: it is the only known surviving example of Thomas William Moseley
Thomas William Moseley
Thomas William Henry Harrison Moseley was a builder and designer of wrought-iron arch bridges. He is best known for his "Wrought-Iron Lattice Girder Bridge" patent of August 30, 1870. The only known surviving example of this type of bridge structure is the Hares Hill Road Bridge located in Chester...
’s patented "Wrought Iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
Lattice Girder
Lattice girder
A lattice girder is a girder where the flanges are connected by a lattice web. This type of design has been supplanted in modern construction with welded or bolted plate girders, which use more material but have lower fabrication and maintenance costs...
Bridge”. The bridge has been recorded for the Historic American Buildings Survey
Historic American Buildings Survey
The Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS
Habs
Habs, HABS, or HABs may refer to:* The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey team, whose nickname is 'Habs', short for 'Les Habitants'* Habitants, the early farmers of Quebec...
/HAER) with detailed drawings, photographs and a substantial historical narrative. The structure carries one lane of traffic on S.R. 1045 (Hares Hill Road) across French Creek. Residences are located along the north bank of French Creek and a wooded area runs along the south bank.
The abutments are founded on rock and consist of random rubble mortared sandstone. They are 20 feet (6.1 m) long, 7 feet (2.1 m) wide at the base, have a batter of ½” to the foot, and are about 12 feet (3.7 m) high above low water. Concrete pedestals have replaced the original stone-bearing seats. Wing walls extend approximately 60 feet (18.3 m) with a slight flare on the south side. The north wings are about 20 feet (6.1 m) long.
The original superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
consisted of the 2 wrought-iron arched girders with lattice webbing and a timber floor system. The arch girders are made up of a pair of “Z-bars” riveted to a central plate diaphragm. Diagonal latticing fills the web between the upper and lower portions of the plate. Each arch has 7 vertical members which support the floor system, along with the lattice and bottom tie plate. Bowstring-type tie rods extend diagonally from the bottom of the center vertical on both sides of each arch.
The HABS/HAER narrative cites 3 major rehabilitations to 1991.
While the bridge is currently painted yellow, it was painted silver for many years and local residents still refer to it as the “Silver Bridge.”
In 2009, PennDoT
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Barry Schoch Presently, PennDOT supports over of state roads and highways, about 25,000...
was programmed to spend $1.7 million to rehabilitate this bridge to improve its load capacity without interfering with its historical nature. On, 22 June 2010, the bridge was closed for the rehabilitation work. The US$826,689 restoration project is expected to last until October. The project will replace the open grate deck and the new deck will have a concrete center section for bicycle use. When completed, the load restriction is expected to be raised to 15 tons (15 short tons (13.6 MT) metric tons).
The Hares Hill Road bridge is scheduled to reopen on Friday December 10, 2010 according to PennDOT Press Release.
See also
- Kimberton, PennsylvaniaKimberton, PennsylvaniaKimberton is an unincorporated community in East Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The zip code is 19442. Originally settled in the late 18th century, it was not named until 1817. Like many surrounding villages, Kimberton developed around a tavern; in this case, the...
- East Pikeland Township, PennsylvaniaEast Pikeland Township, PennsylvaniaEast Pikeland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,079 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- Zenas KingZenas KingZenas King was born in Vermont in 1818. He started his career of building bridges in 1858 and moved from Cincinnati to Cleveland, Ohio around 1861. He established a bridge building works on Watson Street in Cleveland in 1865. King founded the King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company in 1871...
- Moseley Wrought Iron Arch BridgeMoseley Wrought Iron Arch BridgeThe Moseley Wrought Iron Arch Bridge, also known as the Upper Pacific Mills Bridge, is a historic, riveted, wrought iron bridge now located in North Andover, Massachusetts...