The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge is a 1114 feet (339.5 m), steel, plate girder bridge

Plate girder bridge

A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. The plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates , which are welded or, in older bridges, bolted or riveted together to form the vertical web and horizontal flanges of the beam...

 that carries Pennsylvania Route 290

Pennsylvania Route 290

Pennsylvania Route 290 is a long state highway located in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at Interstate 79 and Pennsylvania Route 5 in the neighborhood of Dock Junction...

 and the Bayfront Connector

Bayfront Connector

The Bayfront Connector is a , four-lane expressway that connects Interstate 90 to downtown Erie, Pennsylvania.- Route description :At the intersection of East 12th Street, the Bayfront Parkway becomes the Bayfront Connector and picks up the concurrency with Pennsylvania Route 290...

 over Fourmile Creek

Fourmile Creek

Fourmile Creek is an long tributary of Lake Erie in Erie County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It has a drainage basin of and is a part of the Lake Erie Watershed.- Course :...

 and the Wintergreen Gorge

Wintergreen Gorge

Wintergreen Gorge is a canyon located in Harborcreek Township, Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The canyon is long and is situated along Fourmile Creek and is also directly next to the campus of Penn State Erie. It is deep at its highest point. Wintergreen Gorge was named for the...

 in Harborcreek Township, Erie County

Erie County, Pennsylvania

Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 280,566. Its county seat is the City of Erie.- Geography :...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of 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...

. It is both the second-longest and the second-highest bridge in Erie County, with the Interstate 79

Interstate 79

Interstate 79 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and Pennsylvania Route 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania...

 bridge in the city of Erie

Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...

  and the Interstate 90

Interstate 90

Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...

 bridge over Sixmile Creek being the longest and the highest, respectively.

History

The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge was completed on November 1, 2003 and was opened to traffic on November 21, 2003. It cost $32 million to build. The bridge was designated the Sergeant Donald S. Oaks Memorial Bridge on June 29, 2006 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly

Pennsylvania General Assembly

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times , the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. Since the Constitution of 1776, written by...

.

Recognition

The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge won the "Outstanding Major Bridge of 2003" award from the Association for Bridge Construction and Design. The bridge also won the "Globe Award" from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association

American Road and Transportation Builders Association

Established in 1902, the Washington, D.C.-based American Road & Transportation Builders Association advocates strong investment in transportation infrastructure to meet public demand for a safe and efficient business transportation network....

 and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...

' "Trailblazer Award".