Tunkhannock Viaduct

Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct (also known as the Nicholson Bridge and the Tunkhannock Viaduct) is a concrete deck arch bridge on the Nicholson Cutoff rail segment of the Norfolk Southern Railway Sunbury Line that spans Tunkhannock Creek in Nicholson, Pennsylvania. Measuring 2,375 feet (724 m) long and towering 240 feet (73.15 m) when measured from the creek bed (300 feet (91.44 m) from bedrock), it was the largest concrete structure in the world when completed in 1915[3] and still merited "the title of largest concrete bridge in America, if not the world" 50 years later.[4]

Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct
A Steamtown National Historic Site excursion train crosses Tunkhannock Viaduct.
Coordinates41°37′20″N 75°46′38″W
Carriesrailroad traffic
CrossesTunkhannock Creek
LocaleNicholson, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Characteristics
DesignDeck arch bridge
MaterialConcrete
Total length2,375 feet (723.9 m)
Longest span180 feet (54.9 m) each span
No. of spans10 (11 piers)
Clearance below240 feet (73.2 m)
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks2
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Structure gaugeAAR for the width only
overhead open or clear
History
DesignerAbraham Burton Cohen
Construction startMay 1912
OpenedNovember 6, 1915
Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct
Tunkhannock Viaduct is located in Pennsylvania
Tunkhannock Viaduct
Location in Pennsylvania
Coordinates41°37′20″N 75°46′38″W
Area3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1912-1915
NRHP reference No.77001203[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 11, 1977
Designated PHMCSeptember 16, 1995[2]
Location

Built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W), the bridge is owned today by Norfolk Southern Railway and is used daily for regular through freight service.[5]

The DL&W built the viaduct as part of its 39.6-mile (63.7 km) Nicholson Cutoff, which replaced a winding and hilly section of the route between Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Binghamton, New York, saving 3.6 miles (5.8 km), 21 minutes of passenger train time, and one hour of freight train time. The bridge was designed by the DL&W's Abraham Burton Cohen;[6] other key DL&W staff were G. J. Ray, chief engineer; F. L. Wheaton, engineer of construction; and C. W. Simpson, resident engineer in charge of the construction. The contractor was Flickwir & Bush, including general manager F. M. Talbot and superintendent W. C. Ritner.[7]

In 1975, the American Society of Civil Engineers or ASCE designated the bridge as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. ASCE noted that at the time of its construction from 1912 to 1915, it was the largest reinforced concrete railroad bridge ever built.

The bridge was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1977.[8][9] In 1990, the National Railway Historical Society placed a historical plaque on the structure noting its size as the world's largest concrete bridge, completing the Summit cut-off project for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.

History

Construction on the bridge began in May 1912 by excavating all 11 bridge piers to bedrock, which was up to 138 feet (42 m) below ground. In total, excavation for the viaduct removed 13,318,000 cubic yards (10,182,000 m3) of material, more than half of that rock.

Almost half of the bulk of the bridge is underground. At mid-construction, 80,000 cubic yards (61,000 m3) of concrete had gone into its substructures, and it was estimated that construction would require 169,000 cubic yards (129,000 m3) of concrete and 1,140 short tons (1,030 t; 1,020 long tons) of steel.[10] The steel estimate proved accurate; the bridge ultimately used a bit less concrete than expected: 167,000 cubic yards (128,000 m3),[7] making the total weight approximately 670,000,000 pounds (300,000,000 kg).

The bridge was dedicated on November 6, 1915, along with the opening of the Nicholson Cutoff.[11][12]

Construction photos along with a short history of the bridge were published by the Nicholson Area Library in a brochure in 1976.[13] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1977.[1]

Since 1990,[14] the local community has celebrated the building of the bridge on the second Sunday of September with "Nicholson Bridge Day", a street fair, parade, and other activities.[15] The 100th-anniversary celebration was held in September 2015.[16]

Recognition
Photograph of the Delaware and Lackawanna dedication plaque in 1915 and ASCE civil engineering landmark (1976) and National Railroad history Society plaque (1990)

In 1975 the American Society of Civil Engineers or ASCE designated the bridge as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.[17] ASCE noted that at the time of its construction from 1912 to 1915, it was the largest reinforced concrete railroad bridge ever built.[18]

ASCE recognized the bridge as "not only a great feat of construction skill" but also a "bold and successful departure from contemporary, conventional concepts of railroad location in that it carried a mainline transversely to the regional drainage pattern, effectively reducing the distance and grade impediments...".[18] At the time, the decision was made to build the bridge out of reinforced concrete, railroad engineers had little experience with this material.[18]

The bridge was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 3, 1977.[8][9] In 1990, the National Railway Historical Society placed a historical plaque on the structure noting its size as the world's largest concrete bridge, completing the Summit cut-off project for the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.

  • Tunkhannock Viaduct under construction in 1914
    Tunkhannock Viaduct under construction in 1914
  • Tunkhannock Viaduct from the air
    Tunkhannock Viaduct from the air
  • Tunkhannock Viaduct, as seen from Route 11
    Tunkhannock Viaduct, as seen from Route 11
  • Viaduct over Nicholson, PA
    Viaduct over Nicholson, PA

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System – (#77001203)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. "PHMC Historical Markers". Historical Marker Database. Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  3. Jackson, Donald C.; Yearby, Jean P. (1968). "Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, Tunkhannock Viaduct, Nicholson, Wyoming County, PA". Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  4. Norfolk Southern completes acquisition of Delaware & Hudson South Line, PRNewswire, September 18, 2015
  5. "The Nicholson Bridge".
  6. Simpson, C. W. (March 1916). "Construction Methods on Viaducts Of The Lackawanna Railroad Over Tunkhannock and Martins Creeks". Water and Sewage Works. Indianapolis, Indiana: Engineering Publishing Company. 50–51: 94–98. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  7. FEDERAL REGISTER, VOL 42, NO. 85-TUESDAY, MAY 3, 1977, page 22411.
  8. Anon. "NRHP assessment for Tunkhannock". National Archives at College Park - Electronic Records (RDE). Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  9. "Progress of Tunkhannock Viaduct Construction on D., L. & W. Relocation". Engineering Record. 68 (22): 594. November 29, 1913.
  10. "Northeast Pennsylvania, Nicholson Viaduct".
  11. "Nicholson Bridge / Tunkhannock (Creek) Viaduct - Nicholson Heritage Association". Nicholson Heritage Association.
  12. "The Bridge Was Built," Nicholson Area Library, 1976.
  13. Baker, Robert L. (September 7, 2011). "100 years in the making". Wyoming County Press Examiner. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
  14. "Nicholson Bridge Day".
  15. Baker, Robert (September 14, 2015). "Street fair concludes Nicholson Bridge's Centennial fest". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  16. Society for Industrial archeology newsletter, November 1975, Vol. 4, No. 6.
  17. Herbert Hands, ASCE news release dated January 22, 1975

Further reading
  • Plowden, David (2002). Bridges: The Spans of North America. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company.
  • Taber, Thomas Townsend; Taber, Thomas Townsend III (1980). The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad in the Twentieth Century. Vol. 1. Muncy, PA: Privately printed. ISBN 0-9603398-2-5.
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