Firefighters' Memorial Bridge (Pittston, Pennsylvania)

Water Street Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Susquehanna River between West Pittston, Pennsylvania and Pittston, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1914 by the Penn Bridge Company.

Water Street Bridge
Coordinates41°19′N 75°47′W
CrossesSusquehanna River
LocaleLuzerne County, Pennsylvania
Official nameFire Fighters' Memorial Bridge
Characteristics
Total length1,016 feet (310 m)
Width21 feet (6.4 m)
Longest span202 feet (62 m)
No. of spans5
History
Constructed byPenn Bridge Company
Construction end1914
Location

Composition

The Water Street Bridge is a metal pinned parker through truss bridge. It has 5 spans, which are the 'arches.' Each span length is 202 feet. The bridge is not maintained by PennDOT and is therefore not in the line of bridges being decommissioned by PennDOT around the state.

History

The Water Street Bridge was built in 1914 by the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. It was originally a steel grate bridge until 1984.

The Water Street Bridge faced Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and also the Flood of '06, as it has been called when 12–20 foot waters covered the Riverfront Park, and coming up and smothering the railroad tracks that are 19 feet above the river. The bridge's height at this point was about 20 feet, compared to the average 50–40 feet. Recently, the September 2011 flood caused the city to close this and another bridge in Pittston. So, far the bridge is still standing, but a bridge named Slabtown Bridge in near Lycoming County has been wiped out.

Official name

The bridge was renamed the Fire Fighters' Memorial Bridge in 2008 to remember the fallen firefighters who died near there.[1]

A parallel bridge
The neighboring Specialist Dale J. Kridlo Memorial Bridge (or Fort Jenkins Bridge)

In 1928, a parallel bridge (the Fort Jenkins Bridge) was constructed north of the Water Street Bridge; it is part of U.S. Route 11. In 2017, the bridge was renamed the Specialist Dale J. Kridlo Memorial Bridge.[2]

References
  1. Long, Sherry (2007-08-19). "Pittston span to get new name: Mayors to honor fallen firefighters by renaming Water St. Bridge". The Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre, PA.
  2. Leader, Times (September 24, 2017). "Bridge renamed to honor fallen vet, Dale J. Kridlo". Times Leader.

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