The Emlenton Bridge is a steel-deck

truss A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure. In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...

bridge that spans the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

just south of the town of

Emlenton, Pennsylvania Emlenton is a borough in Clarion and Venango counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 625 at the 2010 census. Of these, 617 were in Venango County, and eight were in Clarion County. The borough is home to the Emlenton Bridg ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at approximately mile marker 44.4 on

I-80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

. With a height of above the river, the Emlenton Bridge was the highest bridge in the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...

when completed in 1968 (The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge is higher but is technically an international bridge, not part of the Interstate Highway system). This record was held until 1971 with the opening of the Fred G. Redmon Bridge near

Selah, Washington Selah is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,153 at the 2020 census. History Selah was incorporated on March 17, 1919. The Tree Top apple processor co-operative (established in 1960) has its headquarters and ...

. The Emlenton Bridge remains the highest road bridge in Pennsylvania; with an overall span of it was the largest bridge constructed as part of the

Keystone Shortway Keystone or key-stone or ''variation'', may refer to: * Keystone (architecture), a central stone or other piece at the apex of an arch or vault * Keystone (cask), a fitting used in ale casks Business * Keystone Law, a full-service law firm * Di ...

project. With the completion of the Interstate System, it is likely that the Emlenton Bridge will remain the fifth-highest bridge in the system for a significant time, behind the Glade Creek Bridge in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, the Pine Valley Creek Bridge in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the Galena Creek Bridge in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, and the aforementioned Redmon Bridge. The bridge was designed by the consultant Buchart-Horn led by Ted Andrzejewski, an acquaintance of the noted bridge engineer

Ralph Modjeski Ralph Modjeski (born Rudolf Modrzejewski; January 27, 1861 – June 26, 1940) was a Polish-American civil engineer who achieved prominence as "America's greatest bridge builder." Life He was born in Bochnia, called Galicia at the time, on Janua ...

. The contractor of record is Brodhead Construction located in

Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Aliquippa is the largest city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, located on the Ohio River about northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part ...

. The Emlenton Bridge is actually located in three different Pennsylvania counties due to its size and the geography of the land. One side of the bridge is in Venango County, the other is in

Clarion County Clarion County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,241. Its county seat is Clarion. The county was formed on March 11, 1839, from parts of Venango and Armstrong counties. Clarion Cou ...

, and the southwest abutment resides in Butler County.

References

External links

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges , place =

, bridge = Emlenton Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Emlenton Low Level Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Foxburg Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges over the Allegheny River Bridges in Clarion County, Pennsylvania Bridges in Venango County, Pennsylvania Road bridges in Pennsylvania Interstate 80 Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Steel bridges in the United States 1968 establishments in Pennsylvania Bridges completed in 1968

See also

References

External links