Hunter Station Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Hunter Station Bridge is a truss bridge
that carries U.S. Route 62
across the Allegheny River
in rural Tionesta Township in Forest County, Pennsylvania
. The structure was named for a railroad stop on the long defunct Ridgway & Oil City Railroad.
The bridge features an unusual design, in which the roadway is built into the middle of the truss, as opposed to the bottom of the structure. This was done to prevent flooding from submerging the highway, which was relatively common before the upstream construction of the Kinzua Dam
. In 1971, the bridge was reconstructed, several years after the completion of the dam.
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that carries U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62 runs from the US-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas to Niagara Falls, New York, near the United States-Canada border. It is the only east-west US Route that connects Mexico and Canada.Parts of U.S...
across the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
in rural Tionesta Township in Forest County, Pennsylvania
Forest County, Pennsylvania
Forest County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population is 7,716. Forest County is famous as a rural retreat. Nearly 75% of all dwellings in the county are second or vacation homes . Forest County does not have a single traffic light, the only county in the...
. The structure was named for a railroad stop on the long defunct Ridgway & Oil City Railroad.
The bridge features an unusual design, in which the roadway is built into the middle of the truss, as opposed to the bottom of the structure. This was done to prevent flooding from submerging the highway, which was relatively common before the upstream construction of the Kinzua Dam
Kinzua Dam
The Kinzua Dam, in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River....
. In 1971, the bridge was reconstructed, several years after the completion of the dam.