Susquehanna River Bridge : History Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Susquehanna River Bridge

Bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

40°12′15″N 76°48′18″W / 40.20417°N 76.80500°W / 40.20417; -76.80500Carries6 lanes of

I-76 / Penna TurnpikeCrossesSusquehanna RiverLocaleHarrisburg, PennsylvaniaMaintained byPennsylvania Turnpike CommissionCharacteristicsDesign1950 bridge: steel plate girder bridge; 2007 bridge: concrete segmental bridgeTotal length4,526 feetHistoryOpenedold bridge: 1950; new bridge: 2007StatisticsTollFares dictated by Pennsylvania Turnpike
(E-ZPass)Location Map

The Susquehanna River Bridge carries Interstate 76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) across the Susquehanna River between Dauphin and York County near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

History

The original structure was built as a steel girder bridge with concrete piers. The steel was provided from a plant operated by Bethlehem Steel, directly adjacent to the turnpike in Steelton, Pennsylvania.^{[citation needed]} It was opened to traffic in 1950.^[1]

On November 16, 2004, the Turnpike Commission let a contract for a bridge to replace the 1950 span.^[2] Two new 3-lane segmental, concrete signature spans were constructed just upriver from the old 4 lane span. The new span was the first of its type built in Pennsylvania at a cost of nearly $100 million [1]. The westbound span opened on May 17, 2007, and the eastbound span was opened on June 17, 2007. The new roadway and bridges opened to normal traffic flow in the summer of 2008. The old span was demolished on August 22, 2007.^[3]

References

^ Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society (November 29, 2006). "Bridges on the Susquehanna River". harrisburgriverboat.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2006.
^ "Susquehanna River Bridge Project - Project Overview". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
^ Chris A. Courogen (August 22, 2007). "Turnpike flow resumes after demolition". The Patriot-News. Retrieved September 22, 2016.