Vanport Bridge

The Vanport Bridge is a four-lane continuous truss bridge that carries Interstate 376 (former Pennsylvania Route 60) across the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. A total of $10,476,268 was spent on construction of the 1,762-foot bridge over the Ohio River connecting Vanport and Potter townships, which was opened to traffic on December 23, 1968.[1] As a vital part of the Beaver Valley Expressway it was carrying near 30,000 vehicles daily in 1990.[2] In January 1990, bridge was closed for three days after corrosion and 14 cracks in welds ranging from 7 to 34 inches were discovered during routine PennDot inspection. Damage was located in the bottom truss plate holding the steel box beam in the central span.[3] Passenger traffic was rerouted to the Rochester–Monaca Bridge; trucks — to the Shippingport Bridge. The Vanport Bridge was reopened after no imminent danger was found with repairs and clean-up scheduled.

Vanport Bridge
The Vanport Bridge at dusk.
Coordinates40°40′45″N 80°19′53″W
Carries4 lanes of I-376
CrossesOhio River
LocaleVanport Township, Pennsylvania
Maintained byPennDOT
Characteristics
DesignContinuous truss bridge
Longest span220 m
History
Opened1968
Location
Heading northbound on I-376 across the bridge

See also

References
  1. Pennsylvania Road Builder, 1970, Volumes 43-44, page 50.
  2. A Performance Audit of the PA Department of Transportation, Pursuant to Act 1981-35: Final Report.
  3. Vanport Bridge diagnosis, The Pittsburgh Press, January 5, 1990.


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