River Road Bridge, Spanning Spring Creek in Spring Creek Township, Hallton, Elk County, PA

Significance: The River Road Bridge is technologically and historically significant as a rare surviving example of a pin-connected Pratt through truss from the period of circa 1880 to 1910; in Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Engineering District 2-0 there are fewer than twenty documented examples left. The 128.7' structure is one of the most complete and earliest examples of its type and design with original decorative elements. This long version maintains all standard details characterizing a pin-connected Pratt through truss design.

As a vehicular bridge, it is also significant in the history of the Clarion River, which was the main shipping route to Pittsburgh for Elk County's lumber industry centered in Ridgway. Located at Hallton, the launching point for the log and lumber rafts on the Clarion River, the bridge is at the western end of a corridor of wood processing plants along the Clarion River that extended to Ridgway during the late nineteenth century. It is a remnant of that era and represents its technological solution for a water crossing in a rural industrial zone.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N924

Survey number: HAER PA-620

Building/structure dates: 1898 Initial Construction

vehicular bridges hallton bridge river road bridge creek township elk elk county pennsylvania road bridge justine christianson todd croteau historic american engineering record jet lowe pennsylvania department of transportation penndot pennsylvania historical and museum commission caleb pratt thomas pratt richard vidutis photo ultra high resolution high resolution library of congress

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

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