Tunkhannock Viaduct
Encyclopedia
Tunkhannock Viaduct is a concrete deck arch bridge that spans the Tunkhannock Creek
in Nicholson
, Wyoming County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. It was the largest concrete bridge in the U.S. when it opened, and remained so even 50 years later.
The bridge contains about 169000 cubic yards (129,209.8 m³) of concrete and 1240 short tons (1,124.9 MT) of steel. It is 2375 feet (723.9 m) long and 240 feet (73.2 m) tall when measured from the creek bed (300 feet (91.4 m) tall from the bedrock). The bridge was built as part of the Clark's Summit-Hallstead Cutoff, which was part of a project of the Lackawanna Railroad to revamp a winding and hilly system. This rerouting was built between Scranton, Pennsylvania
and Binghamton, New York
. All thirteen piers were excavated to bedrock, which was up to 138 feet (42.1 m) below ground level. Almost half of the bulk of the bridge is underground.
The bridge was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
and was designed by Abraham Burton Cohen
. Construction on the bridge began in May 1912, and dedication took place on November 6, 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on April 11, 1977. Today, the bridge is owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway
and is used daily for regular through freight service, including those of the Norfolk Southern.
Tunkhannock Creek (North Branch Susquehanna River)
Tunkhannock Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania, United States. The portion of the Susquehanna from Sunbury to its source at Otsego Lake near Cooperstown, New York is sometimes termed its "North Branch."...
in Nicholson
Nicholson, Pennsylvania
Nicholson is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 713 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Nicholson is located at ....
, Wyoming County
Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It was created in 1842 from part of Luzerne County. Its county seat is Tunkhannock.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was the largest concrete bridge in the U.S. when it opened, and remained so even 50 years later.
The bridge contains about 169000 cubic yards (129,209.8 m³) of concrete and 1240 short tons (1,124.9 MT) of steel. It is 2375 feet (723.9 m) long and 240 feet (73.2 m) tall when measured from the creek bed (300 feet (91.4 m) tall from the bedrock). The bridge was built as part of the Clark's Summit-Hallstead Cutoff, which was part of a project of the Lackawanna Railroad to revamp a winding and hilly system. This rerouting was built between Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
and Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
. All thirteen piers were excavated to bedrock, which was up to 138 feet (42.1 m) below ground level. Almost half of the bulk of the bridge is underground.
The bridge was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad
The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company was a railroad connecting Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley, rich in anthracite coal, to Hoboken, New Jersey, , Buffalo and Oswego, New York...
and was designed by Abraham Burton Cohen
Abraham Burton Cohen
Abraham Burton Cohen was an American civil engineer notable for his role in designing innovative and record-breaking concrete bridges such as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's Tunkhannock Viaduct, the world's largest concrete structure when completed...
. Construction on the bridge began in May 1912, and dedication took place on November 6, 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on April 11, 1977. Today, the bridge is owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and is used daily for regular through freight service, including those of the Norfolk Southern.