Vanport Bridge

The Vanport Bridge is a four-lane continuous truss bridge that carries Interstate 376 across the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Vanport Bridge
The Vanport Bridge at dusk.
Coordinates40°40′45″N 80°19′53″W
Carries4 lanes of I-376
CrossesOhio River
LocaleVanport Township, Pennsylvania
Maintained byPennDOT
Characteristics
DesignContinuous truss bridge
Longest span220 m
History
Opened1968
Location
Heading northbound on I-376 across the bridge

History and notable features

A total of $10,476,268 was spent on construction of the 1,762-foot bridge over the Ohio River connecting Vanport and Potter townships, which was opened to traffic on December 23, 1968.[1] As a vital part of the Beaver Valley Expressway it was carrying approximately 30,000 vehicles daily in 1990.[2]

In January 1990, the bridge was closed for three days after corrosion and fourteen cracks in welds were discovered during a routine Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) inspection. The cracks ranged in size from seven to thirty-four inches. Damage was located in the bottom truss plate that held the steel box beam in the central span.[3] Passenger traffic was rerouted to the Rochester–Monaca Bridge; trucks — to the Shippingport Bridge. The Vanport Bridge was reopened after no imminent danger was found; repairs and clean-up were then undertaken.

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vanport Bridge.

References
  1. Pennsylvania Road Builder, 1970, Volumes 43-44, page 50.
  2. A Performance Audit of the PA Department of Transportation, Pursuant to Act 1981-35: Final Report.
  3. Vanport Bridge diagnosis, The Pittsburgh Press, January 5, 1990.

im

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.