Rating:
1 vote
Conestoga Creek Bridge
Share: 
Description
FROM THE 1996-2001 PENNSYLVANIA HISTORIC BRIDGE SURVEY: The single span, 54'-long bridge consists of a pair of bowstring trusses that no longer carry live loads. The live loads are now carried by stringers place through the trusses ca. 1950. The trusses are Henszey's patented bowstring arch-trusses, fabricated in 1869 by the Continental Bridge Co. of Philadelphia. They consist of built-up tubular upper chord members of two quarter circle section bowed-web channels, similar to half Phoenix sections. The trusses have vertical straps for the web and paired bars for the lower chord. A pin-connected tie back system of rods with turnbuckles is anchored in end posts at the abutment corners. The end posts appear to have been concrete encased at later date, but cast-iron bearings with compression fitting slots for the upper chord are visible at the bases. Only one other example of Joseph G. Henszey's patented design is known to exist in the country. It is a longer example carrying Kings Road over Ontelaunee Creek in Lehigh County (1869, NR-listed). Although this example has alterations, integrity is considered secondary to recognizing the historical and technological significance of this exceptionally rare design from the early developmental era of the prefabricated metal truss bridge technology.Facts
- Overview
- Steel stringer bridge with bowstring trusses over Conestoga Creek on T848 Conestoga Creek Road
- Location
- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Built in 1869 as a bowstring pony, in 1950CA stringers were place through the trusses
- Builders
- - Continental Bridge Co. of Philadelphia
- Joseph G. Henszey
- Design
- Single span, 54'-long bridge consists of a pair of Henszey's patented bowstring arch-trusses with stringers place through the trusses that carry the live load.
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 53.2 ft.
Total length: 54.1 ft.
Deck width: 11.8 ft.
- Recognition
- Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +40.14028, -76.04083 (decimal degrees)
40°08'25" N, 76°02'27" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 18/411336/4443846 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Terre Hill
- Inventory numbers
- PANBI 21911 (Pennsylvania BRKEY bridge number on the 2011 NBI)
BH 52535 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection (as of 12/2011)
- Deck condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Appraisal: Structurally deficient
Sufficiency rating: 27.4 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2011)
- 15
© Copyright 2002-13, James Baughn and contributors.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/pa/lancaster/conestoga-creek/
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/pa/lancaster/conestoga-creek/