Barryville – Shohola Bridge
Coordinates: 41 ° 28 ′ 33 " N , 74 ° 54 ′ 46" W.
  Barryville – Shohola Bridge
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| Official name | Barryville – Shohola Bridge | |
| use | Road bridge (2 lanes) | |
| Convicted | PA 434 or NY 55 | |
| Crossing of | Delaware River | |
| Entertained by | Delaware River Bridge Commission | |
| overall length | 247 m | |
| width | 7 m | |
| opening | 2007 | |
| planner | Whittaker & Diehl Company | |
| toll | toll-free | |
| location | ||
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The current structure is the fifth bridge on the site. |
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The current Barryville – Shohola Bridge is the fifth bridge that spans the Delaware River at this point and connects Shohola Township ( Pennsylvania ) with Barryville ( New York ). The two-lane road bridge is part of Pennsylvania State Route 434 and New York State Route 55 / Sullivan County Route 11.
The current bridge was built in 2007 on behalf of the Joint Delaware Bridge Commission . It is a T-beam structure with a bridge deck made of reinforced concrete and beams of steel . Of the four previous structures, only one also served the State Routes PA 434 and NY 55, the steel truss bridge released in December 1941 , the construction costs of which amounted to 174,300 US dollars (1941). It replaced a steel cable suspension bridge with a lane that was built in 1866 by Chauncey Thomas.
In front of the suspension bridge, built in 1866, there was a bridge, presumably built by John A. Roebling in 1856 , which was destroyed in 1859, and a new structure which collapsed on January 1, 1865.
Before the bridge was built
Towards the end of the 18th century, a ferry was set up on the site of today's bridge connection , which connected Shohola with the forerunner settlement of Barryville. The construction of the Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1827 on the New York side of the river and the Erie Railroad in 1849 increased trade and traffic in the area, necessitating the construction of a bridge.
The first two bridges (1856–1865)
The bridge construction was initially planned in 1854 by a private company, the Shohola and Barryville Bridge Company. The company's president, Chauncey Thomas, tried to win over bridge expert John Augustus Roebling for the contract, who at the time was working on the construction of the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge , a 250 m long double-decker bridge on the Niagara River between New York and Canada , the world's first railway suspension bridge.
Roebling did not want to accept the additional order, but gave Thomas verbal and written instructions on the basis of which the bridge was built. Thomas personally supervised the construction work. These were carried out by inexperienced men who Thomas had hired on site. The result of the work was a three meter wide and 151 meter long bridge with two spans. The bridge was about 7.5 m above the river to be safe from flood water. The construction costs amounted to 9000 dollars (1856; 279,000 adjusted for inflation).
Chauncey Thomas told historian John Willard Johnston, who knew him personally, that he was very inexperienced in building bridges. The newly opened bridge was nevertheless immediately accepted and used by traders, their customers and farmers.
Heavy storms were not uncommon for the weather on the upper reaches of the Delaware River. Thomas' wire rope bridge did not withstand a severe storm on July 2, 1859 and was almost completely destroyed almost exactly three years after it opened. Only the bridgeheads and piers survived the storm. There were two injured, a man and his wife, who were crossing the bridge when it collapsed. The ferry, which was no longer used after the bridge was built, was still in good condition and was initially put back into operation.
The bridge was quickly rebuilt, again under the supervision of Chauncey Thomas, at a cost of $ 4,000 (1859; $ 127,000 when adjusted for inflation). The Shohola and Barryville Bridge Company treasurer did not have enough money to pay for the construction. He promised Thomas this amount for a later date. Around the same time, Thomas was voted out of office as President of the company and replaced by James E. Gardner, who died shortly after starting work and was replaced by Napoleon B. Johnson. Johnson ran the company well and remained in charge of the bridge operator for several years.
On New Year's Day in 1865 a new calamity occurred. At the time there were more mules and carts on the bridge than were actually allowed. The wire ropes broke under the load and the bridge deck fell into the river. The coachmen were injured when they fell into the icy river, but were able to save themselves. Three of the mules weren't that lucky.
Third bridge (1866-1939)
With the destruction of the second bridge in 1865, the Shohola and Barryville Bridge Company fell into crisis. At the time of the collapse, Johnson had taken out a loan for the company that he was now unable to repay. In addition, the company now had no money to repair the bridge. At the auction by the sheriff, Chauncey Thomas bought the bankrupt company for $ 1979 (1865; $ 31,985 adjusted for inflation). Thomas became the sole owner of the destroyed bridge, and the Shohola and Barryville Bridge Company was sealed.
Until the connection was re-established, ferries continued to cross the river. Another pillar was built to improve the stability of the bridge. In 1866 the bridge was finished. In the meantime, thanks in part to the bridge, the township had grown and the increasing traffic brought prosperity to the area.
Chauncey Thomas died on October 5, 1882 at his home in Shohola without having given his will. His fortune was divided between his children and grandchildren. Stephen St. John Gardiner, a friend of the family, has been appointed administrator of the estate. In the further course he bought shares in the bridge and finally gained control of the structure.
The span, completed in 1866, was much better constructed than the first two structures. The old wire ropes were replaced by better and stronger ones. The bridge was also better maintained, and so it survived a flood in 1903 unscathed and an ice storm in 1904.
At the turn of the 20th century, some things changed in the area. The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company had ceased operations, as had the local logging companies and mines. Shohola and Barryville had become holiday destinations and the now antiquated bridge became a sight for day trippers. On January 20, 1923, the structure was purchased by the Joint Bridge Commission of Pennsylvania and New York for $ 22,789 (1923; inflation-adjusted 340,748) US dollars. At this time, the toll for driving on the bridge was also lifted.
The single-lane, obsolete bridge was still open to traffic until 1939, when the bridge commission closed the structure due to structural defects and looked for alternatives for a new building. The bridge was opened again to local traffic with light vehicles in 1940. After the fourth bridge was opened in 1941, it was demolished.
Fourth bridge (1941-2007)
The Bridge Commission mandated the beginning of 1941, the company Whittaker and Diehl to build a truss bridge made of steel with two lanes . Construction costs were estimated at $ 174,300 (1941; adjusted for inflation: $ 3,020,000). As part of the construction, a tunnel was built on the Pennsylvania side for the Erie Railroad, which helped remove delays at the level crossing and prevent accidents. The structure was a little downstream.
This fourth bridge was completed just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. It was finished just in time, as construction activity practically came to a standstill with the entry of the United States into World War II . The structure survived several floods on the river and was in operation for several decades. At the beginning of the 21st century, the bridge was out of date and plans to replace the steel frame construction arose.
Fifth bridge (from 2007)
As the fourth bridge deteriorated, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation began construction of a steel-girder concrete bridge, estimated to cost $ 9.38 million, around Route 434 on the Pennsylvania side of the Sullivan County Route 11 to connect. It was completed in October 2006. The new structure has two lanes and a walkway on each side; the appearance was adapted to the landscape of the Delaware River Valley. After the new bridge was released, the previous one was demolished.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Frank T. Dale: Bridges Over The Delaware River: A History of Crossings . Rutgers University Press, 2003, ISBN 9780813532134 , pp. 141-147.
- ↑ Roadwork for February 10-17, 2006 ( English ) In: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation . Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. S. 1. February 9, 2006. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ↑ a b Rhulen asbestos will be removed starting this week (English) , Times Herald-Record. October 29, 2006, p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
- ↑ PennDOT details 2007 construction season work (English) , Pocono News. April 16, 2008, p. 1. Retrieved March 16, 2009.
Web links
- 1855 Shohola (Barryville-Shohola, Shohola-Barryville) on Bridgemeister.com
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Upstream Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct |
Crossing the Delaware River |
Downriver Pond Eddy Bridge |