Description
The South Washington Street Bridge in Binghamton, NY is a rare lenticular truss bridge of three spans. Built by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company in 1886 It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been restored and in now used only as a bicycle and pedestrian bridge linking downtown Binghamton over the Susquehanna River with the South Side of Binghamton. Addendum-Berlin Bridge Co. gives the build date as 1887 and the dimensions as 3 spans at 165' 24' roadway and two 6' sidewalks.
History and Significance of the South Washington Street Bridge
Written by Michael Quiet
It seems fitting that Binghamton NY would host one of the finest examples of the lenticular through truss ever built, as this was also the hometown of the man who held the patent on the design, William Douglas. And a gracious host it has been over the years, as the bridge has been restored for pedestrian use since its discontinuation of vehicular traffic in 1969, and continues to be given regular maintenance, showing that the city and its population put value on this historic truss bridge. This bridge stands as an excellent example of how a historic span can continue to play an important role in a city even after retirement from vehicular traffic, and should serve as an example to others.
Fabricated in 1886, this bridge is (and was at the time) the longest lenticular bridge constructed in NY, and is the second longest remaining example of its type after the 5 span Aiken Street Bridge in Lowell MA. Like the other remaining examples this bridge employs pinned connections on its members and is fabricated from wrought iron. The abutments and piers are expertly crafted ashlar, which are still original and haven't been replaced/covered with concrete, further bolstering the historic appeal of this structure.
The bridge has all of the standard features for the Berlin Iron Bridge Co. including a decorative railing with iron rosettes, builders plaque, and although long gone now, portal cresting and cast iron finales. Also being built for city usage, the bridge features two 6ft pedestrian walkways on the outside of the trusses. Notable features include the 1885 patent strut braces in the first panels, the early use of the stylized portal bracing, and doubled-up eyebars on the lower chord.
On the last point, it should also be discussed that the bridge was built not only for heavy city traffic, but also supported Binghamton's electric trolley line. To accommodate this the bridge has been built up more then typical examples, including the aforementioned double pair of eyebars for the lower chord, built up box members for the vertical compression members, and relatively thick tension members.
As stated earlier the bridge was retired from vehicular traffic in 1969, and became a pedestrian crossing. Since then the bridge has received a major rehabilitation in 1997 which replaced the floor-beams (which replicated the shape of the original but are lacking the riveting work of the original), and a more minor rehabilitation in 2015 which included repairing railings, repainting, and re-decking the pedestrian walkways, demonstrating the care that the city extends this historic bridge.
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