Susquehanna.bridge
Taken from Wrightsville on the Old Lincoln Highway.
Photo taken by J.R. Manning
BH Photo #112543
The east end of the bridge is in the Columbia Historic District
Constructed of reinforced concrete, the 5,183-foot (1,580 m)-long bridge (7,374 feet including spans over land) has 27 river piers, 22 approach piers, a 38-foot (12 m)-wide roadway, and a 6-foot (1.8 m)-wide sidewalk. 100,000 cubic yards (76,000 m3) of concrete and 8 million pounds of steel reinforcing rods were used, and coffer dams were built to aid in construction. Each span consists of three separate concrete ribs connected at five points by horizontal concrete struts, with the longest span measuring 185 feet (56 m).
American Society of Civil Engineers noted that it is "a splendid example of the graceful multiple-span, reinforced-concrete arched form popular in early 20th Century highway bridges in the United States."
When it was dedicated on Armistice Day, 1930, the Columbia- Wrightsville Bridge was the longest multiple-arch concrete bridge in the world. Twenty-eight three-ribbed open-spandrel reinforced concrete arches, each spanning 185'-0", carry the bridge across the Susquehanna between Lancaster and York counties. Another twenty spans make up the bridge's 6657'-0" total length. The span's construction was innovative because it involved the cooperative effort of two counties. Four bridges preceded this span at this historically important river crossing. The Columbia- Wrightsville Bridge was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1984, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
- Historic American Engineering Record
The 185 feet may be the clear span. It is not some random length (as often appears in the NBI); it is reported as the span length in literature I have from the centering fabricator for the bridge... but the centering fabricator would likely be interested in the arch length from the spring line, rather than c. c. of pier.