Thursday, September 12, 2024

1913,1973,2016 8th Street (Albertus L. Meyers) Bridge over Little Lehigh Creek in Allentown PA

(Archived Bridge HunterHistoric Bridges; HAERSatellite)

This 1,793' (547m) long bridge has a main span of 135 (41m). [HistoricBridges]

Street View, Jul 2024

HAER PA,39-ALLEN,8--11 (CT)
OVERVIEW FROM SOUTHEAST. - South Eighth Street Viaduct, Spanning Little Lehigh Creek at Eighth Street (State Route 2055), Allentown, Lehigh County, PA
[This is the bridge before the 2016 rehab.]

Significance: The South Eighth Street Viaduct (Albertus L. Meyers Bridge) is one of the earliest surviving examples of "monumental" reinforced concrete construction. Initially planned in 1900 as a steel truss structure over the Little Lehigh Creek, the final result, built more than a decade later, represents the financial collaboration between the Allentown Bridge Company's founders and Harry Trexler, owner of the Lehigh Portland Cement Company. At the turn of the twentieth century, concrete and related products were becoming an important component in the Lehigh Valley's economy alongside the earlier iron and steel industries. The South Eighth Street Viaduct is fine example of the adaptation of architecture and engineering to local landscapes and economic needs. The structure was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [HAER_data]

1916 Postcard via BridgeHunter
A picture postcard featuring Allentown, Pennsylvania's, Eighth Street Bridge, 1921. (Public Domain)

Bridges Now and Then posted

HistoricBridges

Jeff Flickr
Cars Pass Under the Albertus L. Meyers Bridge
The Albertus L. Meyers Bridge (also known as the Eighth Street Bridge) is a reinforced concrete arch bridge with 17 spans, located in Allentown, PA, USA.
When opened for traffic on November 17, 1913, it was known as the Eighth Street Bridge, and was the longest and highest concrete bridge in the world.
The bridge spans the Little Lehigh Creek and Martin Luther King Blvd, as well as the former Mack Truck assembly plant.

HAER PA,39-ALLEN,8--5
3/4 VIEW OF BASE OF ARCH FROM NORTHEAST.

Bridges Now and Then posted
Eighth Street Bridge construction, Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1912. (Public Domain)

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