Water Street Bridge is a

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

that spans the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

between

West Pittston, Pennsylvania West Pittston is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Susquehanna River (opposite of Pittston City). In 2020, the population was 4,644. The town once produced mine screens, g ...

and

Pittston, Pennsylvania Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated between Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city gained prominence in the late 19th an ...

. It was built in 1914 by the Penn Bridge Company.

Composition

The Water Street Bridge is a metal pinned parker through truss bridge. It has 5 spans, which are the 'arches.' Each span length is 202 feet. The bridge is not maintained by

PennDOT The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, Pe ...

and is therefore not in the line of bridges being decommissioned by PennDOT around the state.

History

The Water Street Bridge was built in 1914 by the Penn Bridge Company of

Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,005 at the 2020 census. Located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the city lies along the Beaver River, six miles (9 km) north of its co ...

. It was originally a steel grate bridge until 1984. The Water Street Bridge faced

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes in 1972 was the costliest hurricane to hit the United States at the time, causing an estimated $2.1 billion in damage. The hurricane's death toll was 128. The effects of Agnes were widespread, from the Caribbean to Canada, ...

in 1972 and also the Flood of '06, as it has been called when 12–20 foot waters covered the Riverfront Park, and coming up and smothering the railroad tracks that are 19 feet above the river. The bridge's height at this point was about 20 feet, compared to the average 50–40 feet. Recently, the September 2011 flood caused the city to close this and another bridge in Pittston. So, far the bridge is still standing, but a bridge named Slabtown Bridge in near Lycoming County has been wiped out. The bridge was closed indefinitely following inspections in August 2021.

Official name

The bridge was renamed the Fire Fighters' Memorial Bridge in 2008 to remember the fallen firefighters who died near there.

A parallel bridge

In 1924, a parallel bridge (the Fort Jenkins Bridge) was constructed north of the Water Street Bridge; it is part of

U.S. Route 11 {{Infobox road , country=USA , type=US , route=11 , map={{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, frame-height=330, type=line, from=U.S. Route 11.map , map_custom=yes , map_notes=US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, US 11W in ...

. In 2017, the bridge was renamed the Specialist Dale J. Kridlo Memorial Bridge.

References

External links

Water Street Bridge
on HistoricBridges.org {{coord, 41.32437, -75.79295, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Bridges in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Road bridges in Pennsylvania Firefighting memorials Bridges completed in 1914 1914 establishments in Pennsylvania Pittston, Pennsylvania Steel bridges in the United States Parker truss bridges in the United States