This bridge, constructed in 1939, is an example of one of the original overpasses from the first 160 mile segment of the historically significant Pennsylvania Turnpike, which ran from west of Harrisburg to east of Pittsburgh, forming the first rural limited access highway. The highway predates the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways (Interstate Freeway system) by around 20 years. Because the overpass design includes vertical abutments that are located near to the roadway edge and they also have limited span lengths, these bridges cannot support a widening of the freeway to meet modern Interstate standards. As such, these historically significant bridges are being demolished at a rapid rate and eventually it is expected that not a single example of these bridges will remain in Pennsylvania.
Rigid-frame bridges were a common type of overpass on the Pennsylvania turnpike. The use of rigid-frame bridges for limited access highway overpasses tends to appear on only the oldest of freeways, because the design was not economical for the longer spans employed on more modern freeway systems. Connecticut's Merritt Parkway and Ontario's King's Highway 401 are perhaps the two most noteworthy examples.
This historic bridge has been demolished. This map is shown for reference purposes only.
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