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| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date and Builder/Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Pine Street Bridge
| Pine Street Over Erie Canal | Lockport: Niagara County, New York | Metal Two-Hinged Solid Ribbed Deck Arch, Fixed | 1901 By Builder/Contractor: Unknown |
| Technical Facts |
| Rehabilitation Date | Main Span Length | Structure Length | Roadway Width | Main Spans | NBI Number |
| 1974 | 175 Feet (53.3 Meters) | 176.8 Feet (53.9 Meters) | 39.7 Feet (12.1 Meters) | 1 | 4454160 |
This bridge is an early surviving example of an uncommon bridge type, the steel deck arch. There are four steel arch ribs providing width to this bridge. The deck of the bridge is concrete, with riveted steel pans underneath. The bridge has solid plate girder arch ribs, with built-up columns that include v-lacing.
Although railings have been replaced, and some of the columns have been repaired or replaced as evidenced by the presence of bolts instead of rivets, the arch superstructure overall retains good historic integrity.
The bridge crosses the canal at the point of the Niagara Escarpment, which is also where the Lockport canal locks are. As such, this graceful bridge contributes to this scenic, history-rich setting. The Escarpment, locks, and bridge combine are quite a dramatic scene to behold.
The arch bridge stands out as unusual among the bridges of the Erie Canal, since most of the surviving historic Erie Canal bridges are truss bridges of some type.
The Erie Canal is one of the most famous and historically significant canals in the United States. Aside from the widely recognized historical significance of the canal as a transportation facility itself, a lesser known fact is that the canal is historically significant for the bridges that have spanned the canal over the years. It was here on the Erie Canal where Squire Whipple found a place to successfully get his "Whipple Arch" bowstring truss bridges constructed in significant quantities in the mid-1800s. The success of his Whipple Arch bridges helped contribute to the nationwide transition from wooden bridges to metal bridges. The period of time from 1905-1918 where the Erie Canal was upgraded and widened to become part of the larger New York State Barge Canal was a time of change for the bridges of the canal. Between the process of widening and upgrading the canal, and the nationwide trend to build more substantial bridges in the early 20th Century, the previous generation of bridges (many undoubtedly those Whipple Arch bridges) were replaced by a series of new bridges. These bridges have proved to be very durable and thanks to a clear commitment to preservation on the part of New York State Department of Transportation and other agencies, the Erie Canal, particularly the western section from Lockport to Spencerport boasts one of the highest densities of historic bridges of any waterway in the country. The vast majority of bridges on this section are maintained in beautiful condition.
Although the new bridges from the early 20th Century took a variety of forms, two forms were by far the most common. In rural or spacious areas, a fixed double-intersection Warren through truss was used, with a dirt approach providing the modest elevation needed for a fixed bridge over the canal. Double-intersection Warren truss bridges are generally considered an uncommon truss type on a nationwide basis. In urban and less spacious areas, a vertical lift bridge was used. The vertical lift bridges are an unusual design. Instead of towers that rise above the bridge in a traditional vertical lift bridge and pull the truss span up using cables, these bridges have vertical endposts which extend below the deck and into the ground. When operated, these extended endposts (called the lifting frame) rise out of the ground. In an engineering sense, these unusual vertical lift bridges might be thought of as bedstead truss bridges. Another unique feature of these lift bridges are the stairways found at each end of the bridge on the sidewalks. These stairways allow pedestrians to continue to cross the bridge when the structure is in the raised position. These vertical lift bridges continue to operate for boats today, so observing these unique bridges remains possible.
View Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Overview of Erie Canal Locks at Lockport, NY (Alternate Format)
New York State Page On Erie Canal
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