The Albertus L. Meyers Bridge, also known as the Eighth Street Bridge, the South Eighth Street Viaduct, and unsigned as SR 2055, is a reinforced

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

open-

spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The bridge is "one of the earliest surviving examples of monumental, reinforced concrete construction," according to the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Upon its opening on November 17, 1913, the bridge, then known as the Eighth Street Bridge, was the longest and highest concrete bridge in the world. The bridge spans the

Little Lehigh Creek Little Lehigh Creek is approximately long and is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River. It is the largest tributary of the Lehigh River. The creek flows in a windin ...

, linking Center City Allentown with Allentown's South Side. The bridge has seventeen spans and is longer than the more massive

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 Nichol ...

of the same type. In 1974, the bridge was renamed in honor Albertus L. Meyers, who served as bandmaster of the

Allentown Band The Allentown Band is a civilian concert band based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest civilian concert band in the United States, having been in continuous existence since its first documented performance on July 4, 1828, although it ...

for 50 years, from 1926 to 1976.

History

1912 - Eighth Street Bridge - Construction 3 - Allentown PA

2021 - 8th Street Bridge - Fountain Park - 7 - Allentown PA

Planning and development

In 1911, the

Lehigh Valley Transit Company The Lehigh Valley Transit Company (LVT) was a regional transport company, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that began operations in 1901 as an urban trolley and interurban rail transport company. It operated successfully into the 1930s, ...

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

organized the Allentown Bridge Company for the sole purpose of "erecting, constructing and maintaining a bridge and approaches thereto over the Little Lehigh Creek." The bridge was designed by the engineering firm of Benjamin H. Davis and built by McArthur Brothers of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Costing in excess of $500,000, construction of the bridge lasted from July 1, 1912 to November 17, 1913 and required of concrete and of metal reinforcing rods. The bridge spans the

for a total length of 2,600'-0". It is an average of 38'-0" feet wide with two 16-0" travel lanes and two sidewalks. The main structure spanning Little Lehigh Creek consists of nine open-spandrel concrete deck arch spans, and there are eight closed-spandrel concrete deck arch approach spans.

Opening

Upon its November 17, 1913 opening, the bridge, then known as the Eighth Street Bridge, was the longest and highest concrete bridge in the world. From its opening until the 1950s, the structure operated as a toll bridge with an automobile toll of five cents.

Electric street car service

The Liberty Bell Line, Lehigh Valley Transit's electric street car line, which ran from Allentown to Quakertown, Sellersville,

Lansdale Lansdale is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a densely-populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rai ...

Norristown Norristown may mean: * Norristown, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, ran across the bridge until that interurban service was discontinued on September 6, 1951. The concrete standards that once supported the trolley wire are still standing on the bridge to this day.

Albertus L. Meyers Bridge renaming

In 1974, the Eighth Street Bridge was formally renamed the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge in honor of Albertus L. Meyers, a well-known conductor of the

and a cornet player in

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...

's band. As a boy, Meyers played in the Allentown Band at the 1913 opening of the bridge that now bears his name.

National Register of Historic Places designation

On June 22, 1988, the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. ''Note:'' This includes

References

External links

*
Albertus L. Meyers Bridge
at HistoricBridges.org {{authority control 1913 establishments in Pennsylvania Bridges completed in 1913 Bridges in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Allentown, Pennsylvania Concrete bridges in the United States Former toll bridges in Pennsylvania Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania History of Allentown, Pennsylvania Lehigh Street National Register of Historic Places in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Road-rail bridges in the United States Viaducts in the United States