The Great Crossings Bridge is a masonry bridge which is on the National Road between Somerset County and Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It crosses the Youghiogheny River near Confluence, Pennsylvania.
Great Crossings Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates | 39°45′19″N 79°23′48″W / 39.755411°N 79.396735°W |
| Crosses | Youghiogheny River |
| Locale | Confluence, Pennsylvania |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Stone arch bridge |
| Total length | 375 ft (114 m) |
| Width | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Height | 40 ft (12 m) |
| History | |
| Construction start | 1815 |
| Opened | 4 July 1818 |
| Location | |
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History and architectural features
editBuilt during the early nineteenth century, near a ford that had been in use by Europeans since George Washington's 1753 journey to Fort LeBoeuf, the 375-foot (114 m) long, 40-foot (12 m) high, 30-foot (9.1 m) wide sandstone bridge with three arches was erected between 1813 and 1818 by James Kinkead, James Beck and Evan Evans, and was dedicated on July 4, 1818 at an event attended by President James Monroe.[1]
The town of Somerfield, Pennsylvania, which was originally named Smythfield, was built at the eastern end of the bridge in 1817. The bridge and town were later inundated by Youghiogheny River Lake,[1] a reservoir that began filling in 1940.[2]
The bridge remains standing in the reservoir, just downstream from the present U.S. Route 40 bridge.[1][3] The bridge is normally submerged year-round, but is occasionally accessible during periods of drought when the water level in the lake drops significantly. While the normal low-water mark during winter is at an elevation of 1,419 feet (433 m), the top of the bridge is visible at 1,392 feet (424 m) and the deck is exposed at 1,384 feet (422 m).[4][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c Lowry, Patricia (January 7, 1999). "A bridge to the 19th century". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Heberling, Scott D. (2010). Historic Stone Bridges of Somerset County, Pennsylvania (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-89271-126-0.
- ^ Hay, Dave (January 31, 2019). "History of the Great Crossings Bridge and Youghoigheny River towns". Daily American. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Himler, Jeff (October 26, 2024). "206-year-old bridge a sight to see for visitors to depleted Yough River Lake". TribLive.com. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ USGS Water-Year Summary for Site 03077000, U.S. Geological Survey, retrieved November 2, 2024