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The Genesee Arch Bridge (also known as the Portage Viaduct or Portage Bridge) is a steel arch railroad bridge over the
The Erie Railroad Company built a wooden 
Popular local rumor contends that the Portage Bridge was used for a famous scene in the 1986 movie '' Stand By Me''. In reality, the bridge used in the movie is the
On November 29, 2011, Norfolk Southern Railway announced plans to build a new bridge approximately to the south of the 1875 bridge. Norfolk Southern offered the 1875 bridge to the State of New York as a tourist viewing platform of the Upper Falls, but the State declined it, citing a lack of available funding.
A steel arch design for the new bridge, estimated to cost $71 million, was approved in late 2014. Construction started on October 27, 2015. Following the normal seasonal closing of the Portageville park auto entrance road for the winter in 2015, it remained closed until completion of the project in 2018. By late 2016, surveying work for the foundation of the new bridge was underway. In March 2017, construction of the main arch began.
On December 11, 2017, the first train crossed the new bridge. The last pieces of the 1875 bridge were demolished on the morning of March 20, 2018. Norfolk Southern formally named the new bridge the "Genesee Arch Bridge" on May 24, 2018.
NKP 765 Erie Limited over the Portage Viaduct at Letchworth State Park
nbsp;– Video of a heritage passenger excursion over the bridge Railroad bridges in New York (state) Genesee River Bridges completed in 1852 Viaducts in the United States Steel bridges in the United States Iron bridges in the United States Trestle bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Livingston County, New York Erie Railroad bridges Norfolk Southern Railway bridges Bridges completed in 2017 Transportation in Livingston County, New York
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States.
The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
in Letchworth State Park
Letchworth State Park is a New York State Park located in Livingston County and Wyoming County in the western part of the State of New York. The park is roughly long, following the course of the Genesee River as it flows north through a dee ...
, Livingston County, New York. It is the third bridge at this location: the original timber bridge burned in 1875 and was replaced by an iron bridge, which lasted until it was replaced by the current bridge in 2017. It carries the Southern Tier Line
The Southern Tier Line is a railroad line owned and operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway in the U.S. states of New York and Pennsylvania. A mostly former Erie Railroad line, it is suggested that the line runs from Suffern, New York northwest ...
of Norfolk Southern Railway.
Previous bridges
The Erie Railroad Company built a wooden trestle bridge
A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames. A trestle (sometimes tressel) is a rigid frame used as a support, historically a tripod used to support a stool or a pair of isosceles triangl ...
over the Genesee River
The Genesee River is a tributary of Lake Ontario flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York in the United States.
The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides h ...
just above the Upper Falls in the mid-1800s. Construction started on July 1, 1851, and the bridge opened on August 14, 1852. At the time, it was the longest and tallest wooden bridge in the world. In the early morning hours of May 6, 1875, the bridge was destroyed in a tremendous fire. The bridge was a total loss, leaving only the stone bridge abutments
An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
.
Immediately after the fire, officials of the Erie Railroad Company moved quickly to replace the wooden bridge with one built of iron. Construction began on June 8, 1875, and the bridge opened for traffic on July 31, 1875. The bridge was long and high. This bridge was used until December 10, 2017. Despite a weight restriction, the 400-ton Nickel Plate 765
Nickel Plate Road 765 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 " Berkshire" type steam locomotive built for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road".
No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service an ...
steam locomotive passed over the bridge with passenger coaches as part of a heritage excursion in August 2015.
Popular local rumor contends that the Portage Bridge was used for a famous scene in the 1986 movie '' Stand By Me''. In reality, the bridge used in the movie is the Lake Britton
Lake Britton is a reservoir located in Shasta County, California. It is known for its wide variety of bass and trout. Its main body is situated to the west of State Route 89, and is mostly surrounded by PG&E Land, Forest Service Land, and McArthu ...
Bridge in McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park near Redding, California.
Current bridge
On November 29, 2011, Norfolk Southern Railway announced plans to build a new bridge approximately to the south of the 1875 bridge. Norfolk Southern offered the 1875 bridge to the State of New York as a tourist viewing platform of the Upper Falls, but the State declined it, citing a lack of available funding.
A steel arch design for the new bridge, estimated to cost $71 million, was approved in late 2014. Construction started on October 27, 2015. Following the normal seasonal closing of the Portageville park auto entrance road for the winter in 2015, it remained closed until completion of the project in 2018. By late 2016, surveying work for the foundation of the new bridge was underway. In March 2017, construction of the main arch began.
On December 11, 2017, the first train crossed the new bridge. The last pieces of the 1875 bridge were demolished on the morning of March 20, 2018. Norfolk Southern formally named the new bridge the "Genesee Arch Bridge" on May 24, 2018.
References
Further reading
*External links
{{Commons category, Genesee Arch BridgeNKP 765 Erie Limited over the Portage Viaduct at Letchworth State Park
nbsp;– Video of a heritage passenger excursion over the bridge Railroad bridges in New York (state) Genesee River Bridges completed in 1852 Viaducts in the United States Steel bridges in the United States Iron bridges in the United States Trestle bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Livingston County, New York Erie Railroad bridges Norfolk Southern Railway bridges Bridges completed in 2017 Transportation in Livingston County, New York