Skip to main content

Pennsylvania Route 291 over the George C. Platt Bridge

By

George C. Platt Bridge is an 8,780-foot-long cantilever through truss span located in the city of Philadelphia.  The George C. Platt Bridge carries Pennsylvania Route 291 via Penrose Avenue over the Schuylkill River east of Interstate 95 towards Interstate 76.  The George C. Platt Bridge opened during 1951 and was a replacement for the earlier Penrose Ferry Bridge. 


Part 1; the history of the George C. Platt Bridge

Prior to the construction of George C. Platt Bridge traffic over the Schuylkill River was carried by way of the last generation Penrose Ferry Bridge.  The last Penrose Ferry Bridge initially was completed over the Schuylkill River by 1878 and featured an iron swing span design.  The iron swing span of the Penrose Ferry Bridge can be seen during 1880 in a Philadelphia Department of Records photo (courtesy Philadelphia.blogspot.com).

The iron swing span of the Penrose Ferry Bridge was replaced by a steel swing span during 1900.  The steel swing span of Penrose Ferry Bridge can be seen below in a Philadelphia Department of Records photo (courtesy bridgerhunter.com) dated to 1910.

The original iteration of Pennsylvania Route 191 was aligned over the Penrose Ferry Bridge by 1928.  Pennsylvania Route 191 was aligned between US Route 1/Baltimore Pike and Broad Street in downtown Philadelphia via Penrose Avenue.  The Penrose Ferry Bridge would remain in service until March 29, 1947, when it was struck by a container ship.  Pennsylvania Route 191 and the Penrose Ferry Bridge can be seen below on the 1948 Rand McNally Map of Philadelphia.  


The damage to the Penrose Ferry Bridge necessitated it be replaced by a modernized span.  The Penrose Avenue Bridge would open on September 12, 1951, as part of an extended Pennsylvania Route 291.  The Penrose Avenue Bridge was a fixed 8,780-foot-long cantilever through truss span which provided more utility than the previous swing span of the Penrose Ferry Bridge.  The Penrose Ferry Bridge can be seen carrying Pennsylvania Route 291 over the Schuylkill River on the 1956 Gousha Map of Philadelphia.  

A steel divider was installed on the Penrose Avenue during 1967 to mitigate head on collisions.  The Penrose Avenue Bridge was renamed in honor of Civil War figure George Crawford Platt during 1979.  During 1984 and 2011-2014 the George C. Platt Bridge was rehabilitated.  Below the fixed span of the George C. Platt Bridge can be seen a D. Thomsen photo (courtesy bridgehunter.org). 


Part 2; a drive on the George C. Platt Bridge

The below sequence of photos was taken by Tom Fearer during the 2022 Philadelphia, PA National Road Meet along the George C. Platt Bridge.  Below Pennsylvania Route 291 can be seen crossing the George C. Platt Bridge east from Interstate 95 over the Schuylkill River towards Interstate 76.  













Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

By
  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
4 comments
Read more

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

By
Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...
Post a Comment
Read more