Kinzua Bridge PA; the Bridge to Nowhere

What's left of the Kinzua Bridge is located in Mckean County PA. The once mighty steel structure that had allowed railroad passengers and freight through Northwestern Pennsylvania was brought down by a tornado that touched down in Kinzua National Park. The massive structure was once 301 feet tall and 2052 long, making it the fourth highest railway bridge in the country.

The bridge was the brainchild of Civil War hero General Thomas Kane who was a stakeholder New York Lake Erie, and Western Railroad. He wanted trains to be able to take a direct route across the valley rather than go on an eight mile detour around it. The bridge was built for a cost of $167,000 dollars and took less than four months to complete.

The Kinzua Bridge was billed as the Eight Wonder of the World and trains from all over the Northeast traveled to it simply to take passengers over the bridge. There were signs from the beginning that the bridge may have some difficulties however. High winds could impact the bridge even more than engineers originally believed. There was a strict five mile per hour limit placed on trains while crossing to lessen the impact on the supports.

By 1959 the only trains going over the bridge were sightseeing trains. In 1960 Governor William Scranton bought the acreage surrounding the bridge and created Kinzua National Park. For the next forty-two years sightseeing trains crossed the bridge with regularity. Then in 2002 a bridge inspection revealed the bridge was no longer structurally sound and all traffic, including pedestrian was prohibited from that day on.

In early 2003 work was begun to stabilize the Kinzua Bridge. Then on July 21, 2003 a tornado touched down in Kinzua National Park. The already unstable bridge could not take the up to 100 mile winds and it failed. A later study showed that eleven of the twenty towers that supported the bridge failed. The Bridge now lies in ruins amidst the 327 acre Pennsylvania State Park. There are no definitive plans on what to do with the bridge next.

If you are captivated by the beauty of Northwestern Pennsylvania and decide to relocate then the following information should be helpful. The people who live near Kinzua State Park in PA earn a median income of $45,200 dollars per year and have paid a median price of $244,000 for their homes.