MOUNT JEWETT, Pa. — In its heyday, the Kinzua Viaduct could support the 511-ton Big Boy, the biggest steam engine in the world. Now, the tallest and longest railroad bridge of the Industrial Age is off limits even to pedestrians, the Associated Press reported.
Decades of neglect have left the rusting span, now the nation’s fourth-tallest railroad bridge, at risk of collapsing.
Engineers still are trying to figure out how to repair the 301-foot-tall structure, made of weakened 102-year-old steel and in need of hard-to-find parts.
A tourist train was removed in June. Foot traffic was banned in August. Officials don’t even want anyone under the bridge, about 110 miles northeast of Pittsburgh on the edge of Allegheny National Forest.
“It could be very unstable with high winds, say 80 to 90 mph. Everyone wants to say, ‘Well, what happens at 50?’ You can’t analyze all points of the structure,” said James Eppley, an engineer with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which owns the bridge.
The Kinzua Viaduct — 1,552 tons of iron — was built in 94 days in 1882. Gen. Thomas Kane dreamed up a bridge “loftier than any yet built by man” as a way to lure the New York & Erie Railroad to build a line.
The bridge, rebuilt with 3,300 tons of steel in 1900 to accommodate heavier trains, is listed on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks and National Register of Historic Places.
“I made a pilgrimage when I was driving across Pennsylvania,” said Rob McGonigal, editor of Classic Trains magazine. “I made a point to go out of my way because it is one of those landmarks of American railroading.”
The bridge hasn’t carried a freight train since 1959 but draws as many as 140,000 visitors a year.
It has been saved once already. The Erie Railroad sold it in 1959 for $76,000 to scrap-metal dealer Nick Kovalchick, but he reconsidered once he saw it and sold it to the state three years later.
“He fell in love with it. We talked about and went to the bridge all the time,” said his son, Joe Kovalchick.
Eppley estimated that at least $1 million will be needed to stabilize the bridge and an additional $10 million to make it safe for trains. The state Department of Transportation has pledged $1 million for repairs.
The state House last week approved $10.8 million to repair the bridge. If the state Senate and governor approve, repairs could begin as early as next month.
“We are giving it one hell of a shot,” Eppley said. “There is no reason to believe we can’t save it.”