The University Avenue Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge crossing the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The four-lane bridge links University Avenue in West Philadelphia with South 34th Street in the Grays Ferry section of South Philadelphia. It measures 536 feet (163 m) long, 100 feet (30 m) wide, and clears the water by 30 feet (9.1 m).[2]
University Avenue Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 39°56′30″N 75°11′52″W / 39.94167°N 75.19778°W |
| Carries | University Avenue |
| Crosses | Schuylkill River |
| Locale | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Official name | University Avenue Bridge |
| Owner | Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, 1961, formerly City of Philadelphia |
| Maintained by | PennDOT |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Beaux-Arts Double leaf bascule bridge |
| Material | Steel, limestone, concrete, bronze |
| Total length | 536 feet (163 m) |
| Width | 100 feet (30 m) |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Piers in water | 4 |
| Clearance below | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Paul Philippe Cret, architect, and Stephen H. Noyes, engineer |
| Constructed by | Dravo Contracting Company |
| Construction start | 1925 |
| Construction end | 1930 |
| Opened | 1930 |
University Avenue Bridge | |
  | |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°56′30″N 75°11′52″W / 39.94167°N 75.19778°W |
| Built | 1927–1933 |
| Architect | Paul Philippe Cret |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 94000515[1] |
| Added to NRHP | May 26, 1994 |
| Location | |
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Built in 1930, the bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 26, 1994.[3]
Gallery
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Beneath the bridge -
Bridge surface -
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "University City Bridge, University City Historical Society". Retrieved 2008-05-20.
- ^ Steffe, Michael J. (1994-04-26). "UNIVERSITY AVENUE BRIDGE Paul Philippe Cret, architect". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
The much more recent Passyunk Avenue Bridge, and the University Avenue Bridge remain the only two extant double leaf bascule type drawbridges on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.
External links
edit- 1917 drawing of proposed bridge, PhillyHistory.org
- 1929 Photo of unfinished bridge, PhillyHistory.org
- 1929 photo of drawbridge open, PhillyHistory.org
- 1950 photo of bridge, PhillyHistory.org
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-503, "University Avenue Bridge"
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: University Avenue Bridge
Wikimedia Commons has media related to University Avenue Bridge.