1883+1987 Low- and 1968 I-80 High-Level Bridges over Allegheny River at Emlenton, PA

High-Level: (Satellite)

Low-Level: (Satellite)

The dates in the title come from wikipedia_low.

High Level

Street View, Oct 2008

Low Level

Street View, Oct 2018
Note the high-level bridge in the right background.

Note how the depth of the truss makes the semi-trucks look small.

Street View, Oct 2018

 

S J, Apr 2022

 

Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Phil Martin Photography posted
The Emlenton Bridge on I80 sits in three counties Butler, Clarion and Venango County. It’s about 270 feet above the Allegheny River.

Jackson-Township historical preservation added
Keystone Shortway Bridge (I-80), over the Allegheny River at Emlenton, Venango County. This bridge is the highest in the East. This modern super-highway, between Sharon and Stroudsburg, provides the fastest direct route across the state and easy access to many choice recreational areas.
[I-80 in Pennsylvania is called the Keystone Shortway.
As with most suppleratives, the qualifier "when constructed" is needed for the highest bridge claim. The 1988 I-64 Glade Creek Bridge is 700' (213m) high, and the 1977 US-19 New River Gorge Bridge is 876' (267m) high. Both of these are in the East.]
Ken Rupert shared
As a teenager, I saw this bridge being built from the smaller bridge in the background! 🙂My Dad referred to the "Keystone Shortway Bridge" as the "Emlenton High Level Bridge" Was there a name for the smaller bridge other than the "Emlenton bridge" as I remember? Yes, the new I-80 bridge sure saved a Lot of time if you look at the winding roads in the picture! 😉

Comments on the above add

"With a height of 270 feet (82 m) above the river, the Emlenton Bridge was the highest bridge in the Interstate Highway System when completed in 1968." [wikipedia_high]

Historic Bridges has a lot of bridges in Venango County, but not these two. In fact, there are no bridges over the Allegheny River.

This image would be between 1968 and 1987.

ebay [at least three copies of this image were for sale.]

HAER_data
The Whipple trusses were made with wrought iron. This bridge was pictured in the 1885 catalog for the builder, the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, OH.
[My first thought is that it should have been saved as a trail bridge. But looking at a map, I guess there is nothing on the south side to walk/bike to. So are there any fish in this river? I guess it was rather high to function as a fishing pier.]

The picture in the 1885 catalog.

HAER PA,61-EML,1-
39. PORTAL ELEVATION. Photocopy of engraving from illustrated pamphlet titled 'Wrought Iron Bridges Built by Wrought Iron Bridge Company,' Wrought Iron Bridge Company, Canton, Ohio, 1885 (artist unknown). - Emlenton Bridge, Spanning Allegheny River, Travel Route 38 (Legislative Route 75), Emlenton, Venango County, PA

As expected, the truss was pin connected.

HAER PA,61-EML,1-
6. VIEW OF SOUTH ABUTMENT, LOOKING SOUTH