
Waterville Bridge - Swatara Creek, PA, USA
N 40° 28.819 W 076° 31.909
18T E 370162 N 4482197
The Waterville Bridge currently crosses Swatara Creek, enabling the Appalachian Trail to cross the Swatara Creek. It has an interesting history.
Waymark Code: WM17TB0
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 04/01/2023
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Originally constucted in 1890 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company in 1890, this lenticular truss bridge was moved from Little Pine Creek at State Route 44, Waterville, Lycoming County to this location in 1985.
It is an example of a lenticular truss, so named because of the lens-like shape of its curved upper and lower chords. It is representative of the Berlin Iron Bridge Company's trademark bridge type, based on the patent of William O. Douglas. This bridge also exhibits a Warren pattern of web bracing and a highly decorated portal. The process of moving the bridge in 1985 is a notable example of how historically significant bridges can be preserved and adapted to new uses.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
It is also in the Historic American Engineering Record and is considered an engineering landmark by the US Library of Congress:
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