![Yalesville underpass](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Yalesville_underpass.jpg)
The Yalesville Underpass is a 30-degree
skew arch
A skew arch (also known as an oblique arch) is a method of construction that enables an arch bridge to span an obstacle at some angle other than a right angle. This results in the faces of the arch not being perpendicular to its abutments and its ...
bridge carrying the railroad over
Route 150 and
Route 71 in
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...
. Built in 1838 for the
Hartford and New Haven Railroad
The Hartford and New Haven Railroad (H&NH), chartered in 1833, was the first railroad built in the state of Connecticut and an important direct predecessor of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The company was formed to connect the ...
by William MacKenzie, it is reported to be the first skew underpass in America. The arch was designed to allowed tall hay wagons to pass through but it is not wide enough for modern two-way traffic, the one-way traffic being controlled by a pair of lights. Due to the age of the bridge, it has to undergo repairs on a regular basis.
In 2018, work was done to accommodate for an additional train track.
References
Buildings and structures in Wallingford, Connecticut
Tourist attractions in New Haven County, Connecticut
Bridges in New Haven County, Connecticut
Arch bridges in the United States
Bridges completed in 1838
1838 establishments in Connecticut
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