1965 NS/(CNJ+Lehigh Valley) and 1924 Hill to Hill Bridges over Lehigh River in Bethlehem, PA

Railroad: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Hill to Hill: (no Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

2017 photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via BridgeHunter_railroad
Looking East - Hill to Hill Bridge in background

A view of the railroad bridge from the road bridge.

Street View, Oct 2014

The steel girder span on the left is part of the railroad bridge. This shows that the Hill-to-Hill Bridge is a closed spandrel concrete arch bridge over the river. There are trusses at each end because there used to be a lot of tracks in this town.

Street View, Jul 2024

HistoricBridges_railroad
"This classic railroad truss bridge sits in the shadow of the large Hill-To-Hill Bridge. The plate girder section was rebuilt in 1965 by Bethlehem Steel Company. It is not known if Bethlehem constructed the original through truss main spans as well, nor when those original spans date to."

"Significance: The Hill-to-Hill Bridge was the first bridge to join the boroughs of the City of Bethlehem with a high-level structure eliminating all railroad grade crossings. The structure, constructed almost entirely of reinforced concrete, owed its unusual shape to the eight access ramp structures that fed traffic to the Main Bridge avoiding numerous railroad tracks." [HAER_data]

This overview shows that much of the bridge is a viaduct over the flood plain to avoid city congestion. 

HAER PA,48-BETH,17--1
1. Overall view - Hill-to-Hill Bridge, Spans Lehigh River at State Route 378, Bethlehem, Northampton County, PA

This view shows part of the viaduct that goes all the way to the ancient riverbank.

Street View, Aug 2023

E. Miller, Jan 2024

Metrotrails posted
A view from the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem Pennsylvania, with the rail bridge across the Lehigh River that connected the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Bethlehem Branch with the Central Railroad of New Jersey on the north side.
Metrotrails shared

ArchivedBridgeHunter_railroad indicates that the predecessor to NS was Reading. So, was Lehigh Valley a predecessor to Reading? The topo maps label the railroad south of the river as Lehigh Valley until it is labeled Conrail.

1957/60 Allentown Quad @ 62,500

Metrotrails posted

A view at one of the accesses to the Hill-to-Hill Bridge in Bethlehem Pennsylvania.

The current Hill to Hill Bridge was completed in 1924 to replace the aged covered bridge that was constantly in need of repairs. The new bridge is a symbol of the combining of the municipalities of Bethlehem and South Bethlehem to become the City of Bethlehem. Originally, Hill to Hill Bridge had about 11 points of access. Many were cut off with the development of Rt 378.

Bridges shared