Wintergreen Gorge Bridge

Bridge in Pennsylvania, United States
42°7′24.5″N 79°59′47″W / 42.123472°N 79.99639°W / 42.123472; -79.99639Carries PA 290 (Bayfront Connector)CrossesFourmile CreekLocaleErie, Pennsylvania, United StatesOther name(s)Sergeant Donald S. Oaks Memorial BridgeMaintained byPennDOTNBI Number250290008000920CharacteristicsTotal length1,114 ft (340 m)[1]Width67 ft (20 m)[1]Load limit60 metric tons (66 short tons)HistoryConstruction endNovember 1, 2003StatisticsDaily traffic10,694LocationMap

The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge is a 1,114-foot (340 m), steel, plate girder bridge that carries Pennsylvania Route 290 and the Bayfront Connector over Fourmile Creek and the Wintergreen Gorge in Harborcreek Township, Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is both the second-longest and the second-highest bridge in Erie County, with the Interstate 79 bridge in the city of Erie and the Interstate 90 bridge over Sixmile Creek being the longest and the highest, respectively.[2]

History

The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge was completed on November 1, 2003 and was opened to traffic on November 21, 2003. It cost $32 million to build.[3] The bridge was designated the Sergeant Donald S. Oaks Memorial Bridge on June 29, 2006 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.[4]

Recognition

The Wintergreen Gorge Bridge won the "Outstanding Major Bridge of 2003" award from the Association for Bridge Construction and Design.[5] The bridge also won the "Globe Award" from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' "Trailblazer Award".

References

  1. ^ a b Federal Highway Administration (2008). "Place Name: Harborcreek (Township of), Pennsylvania NBI Structure Number: 250290008000920; Facility Carried: SR 290". Nationalbridges.com (Alexander Svirsky). Retrieved May 28, 2009. Note: this is a formatted scrape of the 2006 official website, which can be found here for Pennsylvania: "PA06.txt". Federal Highway Administration. 2006. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
  2. ^ Cuneo, Robin (August 15, 2005). "Gorgeous gorge". Erie Times-News. Retrieved May 28, 2009.
  3. ^ "Context Sensitive Solutions". PennDOT. 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  4. ^ Pennsylvania. General Assembly. An Act redesignating the bridge carrying section A80 of the East Side Access Highway, SR 4034, over Fourmile Creek and the Wintergreen Gorge in Harborcreek Township, Erie County, as the Sergeant Donald S. Oaks Memorial Bridge. Harrisburg: State of Pennsylvania, 2006.
  5. ^ Carroll, Jim (March 13, 2006). "Bayfront Connector hooks up with honors". Erie Times-News. p. 4B.