Wills Creek Bollman Bridge Explained

Bridge Name:Wills Creek Bollman Bridge
Carries:Allegheny Highlands section of Great Allegheny Passage trail
Crosses:Scratch Hill Road
Locale:Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
Design:truss bridge
Open:1871
Coordinates:39.8183°N -78.9947°W

The Wills Creek Bollman Bridge originally served the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Pittsburgh Division main line.

Designed by the self-taught civil engineer Wendel Bollman in 1871, this truss bridge is the last remaining span of the Pittsburgh Division line associated with Bollman. Around 1910, it was moved from Wills Creek to a location north of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, after it was no longer able to safely carry heavier modern locomotives. It served as a vehicular bridge crossing CSX tracks on Long Road (Summit Township Road 381) at 39.83°N -79.0428°W.[1] The bridge was again relocated in 2007 to a location east of Meyersdale, where it now carries the Great Allegheny Passage trail over Scratch Hill Road at 39.8183°N -78.9947°W.[2]

Though it was designed by Wendell Bollman, it does not employ his famous Bollman truss, but rather a Warren truss. It is long and wide. The east abutments are constructed of concrete, while the west are earthen with wood ties. This bridge has a wood deck, and ornate cast iron end pieces, lacework, and compression members. End posts and tension members are constructed of wrought iron.

The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1978.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wills Creek Bollman Bridge . Brown . Scott C. . Historic American Engineering Record . Library of Congress . Washington, D.C. . 1 . January 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103211908/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa3200/pa3233/data/pa3233data.pdf . November 3, 2012.
  2. Web site: The Historic Bollman Bridge. Meyersdale Area Historical Society. November 24, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232150/http://www.meyersdalepa.org/railroad/bollman.html. December 2, 2013.