With final analysis complete on the structural stability of the historic Kinzua Bridge in McKean County, DCNR has approved a $3.9 million emergency repair contract that will return pedestrian and excursion train traffic by the end of next year.
The department announced the closing of the 2,053-foot-long viaduct to pedestrian and rail traffic this summer, after regular inspections showed rusting and deterioration within its steel understructure.
“We have pledged to move as quickly as we can to restore what always has been a safe and popular tourist attraction in McKean County,” said DCNR Secretary John C. Oliver. “Our analysis had to be thorough to determine the full extent of the problems, and engineers have found them to be far worse than originally estimated.
“Emergency repair of this structure is no easy task, but we are fully committed to returning foot and rail traffic to this attraction,” Secretary Oliver said. “We have asked our contractors to get it done as fast as they can because we understand the significant value of this bridge and park to the economy of McKean County.”
Secretary Oliver noted that while work in winter conditions is not ideal, the contractor is expected to begin in January. Two full-time crews will be assigned to the bridgework, which will entail repairs to the bottom struts of the towers, the tower legs and their lacings, and replacement of roller bearings. Work will be concentrated on the bottom four levels of the bridge where section loss to structural members could be as much as 80 percent.
An emergency contract has been awarded to W.M. Brode Co. of Newcomerstown, Ohio, one of the country’s leading railroad bridge contractors. Funding is being provided from PENNDOT, the state’s capital budget, and DCNR.
Kinzua Bridge State Park remains open to all visitors while work is being conducted. Visitors still can photograph and view the viaduct from the observation deck adjacent to the bridge.
The Kinzua Bridge was completed in 1882. At the time, it was the highest railroad bridge in the world at 301 feet from the center of the valley. The structure was rebuilt in 1900 to handle heavier trains; it went unused from 1959 to 1987.
The state park around the bridge officially opened in 1970. In 1977, the Kinzua Viaduct received national recognition when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.
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