The Walnut Street Bridge also known as The People's Bridge, was 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 spanned the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

from downtown

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

to the West Shore until 1996, when ice floes on the flooded river destroyed three spans of the western part of the bridge, between City Island and the West Shore. Built by the

Phoenix Bridge Company The Phoenix Iron Works (1855: Phoenix Iron Company; 1949: Phoenix Iron & Steel Company; 1955: Phoenix Steel Corporation), located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, was a manufacturer of iron and related products during the 19th and 20th centuries. ...

in 1890, the remaining bridge is the oldest connecting Harrisburg's downtown and Riverfront Park with City Island. A 2014 Cross-River Connections Study notes that the bridge currently serves as an "important bicycle and pedestrian link between City Island and downtown Harrisburg, connecting the city and the

Capital Area Greenbelt The Capital Area Greenbelt is a looping trail located in the area of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This 20-mile loop around Pennsylvania's capital city provides visitors and tourists with opportunities to hike, ride bicycles, skate, jog, fish, walk t ...

to special events on City Island." The bridge was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1972.

History

The bridge was built to break the toll monopoly enjoyed by the neighboring Camelback Bridge (now the Market Street Bridge). The Walnut Street Bridge was closed to motor vehicles and converted to a

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...

and bikeway link to City Island after the 1972

Hurricane Agnes Hurricane Agnes was the List of costliest Atlantic hurricanes, 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, ...

flood. The eastern span of the bridge is outlined in lights which, along with the City Island facilities, create a dynamic visual effect at night. The span is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world and was listed on the

in 1972. It is also recognized as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

1996 collapse

On 20 January 1996, as a result of rising flood waters from the North American blizzard of 1996, the Walnut Street bridge lost two of its seven western spans when high floodwaters and a large ice floe lifted the spans off their foundations and swept them down the river. A third span was damaged and later collapsed into the river. This dramatic scene was recorded by an amateur

videographer Videography involves capturing moving images on electronic media (such as: videotape, direct to disk recording, or solid state storage), and can include streaming media. It encompasses both video production and post-production methods. Histori ...

and shown on national news clips. Shortly after the loss of the three western spans, the People's Bridge Coalition was formed to support the restoration of the bridge. Public surveys in the early 2000s showed overwhelming support for the restoration of the western spans. Shortly after the 1996 collapse, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation contracted Modjeski and Masters, Inc., to perform an inspection and analysis to prevent the possibility of future collapse of the remaining structure. A $5 million rehabilitation project was later conducted on the eastern span of the bridge. The rehabilitation project was performed by IA Construction Corporation of Concordville, Pennsylvania. When it was announced that the western span wouldn't be reconstructed, citizens formed The People's Bridge Coalition, which has since reorganized into a non-profit, the Walnut Street Bridge Society. Walnut Street Bridge, 1908 Hbg.jpg, The bridge as seen from City Island in 1908, over the Susquehanna River to Harrisburg Harrisburg Walnut St Bridge 1958.jpg, Harrisburg's Walnut St Bridge in 1958 when it was used for automobile traffic. Walnut street br1.jpg, Western span of the Walnut Street Bridge in

after it collapsed during the 1996

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

. Walnut Street Bridge pedestrians.JPG, Pedestrians on the Walnut Street Bridge.

References

External links

*
PennLive.com: "Coalition continues fund-raising to restore Walnut Street Bridge"
— ''2008 article''. * {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Bridges in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Bridges over the Susquehanna River Former road bridges in the United States Pedestrian bridges in Pennsylvania Truss bridges in the United States Bridges completed in 1890 Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Wrought iron bridges in the United States

History

1996 collapse

See also

References

Further reading

External links