Kinzua Bridge

My latest road trip, like several earlier ones, took me through Pennsylvania into New York, and then back into Pennsylvania.  The next few posts will show some places in New York.

The Kinzua Bridge was a railroad viaduct that spanned Kinzua Creek and its canyon, a few miles northeast of Mt. Jewett, Pennsylvania.  It was first built in 1882, taken out of service in 1959, sold to the Pennsylvania government in 1963, and used as the feature attraction of a state park.  In 2003, after restoration had begun, much of it was ripped down by a tornado.  In 2011, the remaining portion, still connecting to the south side of the canyon, was converted into a pedestrian skywalk.  Here's the south end of the skywalk.

The next shot shows the whole length of the skywalk, and a still-standing trestle on the north side of the creek.

The skywalk includes these tracks.  The reason for two sets of rails is that if a railroad car were to derail from the outer rail, its wheels might be caught be the inner rail, thus preventing it from going over the side.  Yes, I did walk to the end.

In this shot, you can see a collapsed trestle below the end of the skywalk.

Collapsed girders extend between the skywalk and the remainder of the bridge on the north side of the canyon.

After I took the above pictures, it was time to get sweaty.  The park includes a trail down to the creek, and a wooden bridge to the other side.  From there, I looked back up at the skywalk, where I had walked a few minutes earlier.

A collapsed trestle looms above Kinzua Creek.

More collapsed trestles lie in front of the remainder of the bridge to the north.

These collapsed trestles are on the north side of the creek, as I look southward.  The trestles still standing support the skywalk.

For more on the Kinzua Bridge, go to Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau and Smethport History.  Smethport is a town about 10 miles northeast of the bridge.