| Key Facts |
| Bridge Name | Facility Carried / Feature Intersected | Location | Structure Type | Construction Date / Builder or Contractor |
| Washington Street Bridge | Washington Street Over Susquehanna River | Binghamton: Broome County, New York | Metal Pinned Lenticular Through Truss, Stationary | 1886 By: Berlin Iron Bridge Company of East Berlin, Connecticut |
| Technical Facts |
| Structure Length | Span Length | Main Spans | Approach Spans |
| 480 Feet (146.3 Meters) | 160 Feet (48.8 Meters) | 3 | None |
Any vacation or trip to this area should include a stop at this bridge, which is one of the most noteworthy bridges in New York.
The lenticular truss bridge is a rare and distinctive type of truss that the Berlin Iron Bridge Company designed and patented. The design's name comes from the lens-like shape that the bridge spans take. The Washington Street Bridge is a classic example of that design, featuring the traditional ornamentation, including builder plaque, that the Berlin Iron Bridge Company liked to put on its portals. As a three span structure, this bridge is one of the longest examples of this bridge type both in terms of overall length, and span number as well.
This bridge was restored for pedestrian use only. The restoration was done very well, which will allow this priceless treasure to remain for current and future generations to enjoy. The best feature of the restoration is that the railings on the bridge are original, and no modern railings were added. This fact sets the restoration of this bridge far ahead of many other bridge restorations.
The only downside to the restoration is that the built-up, shaped floorbeams were replaced with modern beams. While these modern beams retain the same general shape as the original beams, they lack the use of rivets, and thus do not accurately represent the original historic technology. Future restoration projects on other truss bridges should consider options that either retain existing floorbeams, or if the beams are deteriorated severely, to replicate the floorbeams using rivets to fasten them together, much like was done with the Charlotte Highway Bridge in Michigan.
