Jay Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Jay Street Bridge crosses the West Branch Susquehanna River
between Lock Haven
on the south bank and Lockport on the north. The original structure, completed for the Lock Haven Bridge Company by the E. Kirkbride Company in 1852, was a covered bridge
about 800 feet (243.8 m) long. A two-story toll house
, 48 feet (14.6 m) long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide was later added at the foot of the bridge on the Lock Haven side. Travelers using the bridge passed through an archway in the center of the toll house. The bridge included a covered pedestrian walkway on the downstream side.
After the wooden bridge was destroyed by fire in 1919, it was replaced by an iron bridge, and a steel girder bridge
replaced the iron bridge in 1986. State Route 664
, the southern terminus of which is in Lock Haven, crosses the river over the steel bridge.
The bridge is slightly upstream of Lock Haven's Canal Park, featuring remnants of the Bald Eagle Crosscut Canal. It is also slightly upstream of the Lock Haven Dam (also known as the Dunnstown
Dam), built in the 19th century to provide water to the West Branch Canal
, which ran parallel to the Lockport and Dunnstown side of the river. Canal boats crossed the pool behind the dam by means of a cable ferry
between Lock No. 34, about 2000 feet (609.6 m) east of the bridge on the Lockport side, and Lock No. 35 on the Lock Haven side.
The steel bridge is 8.5 metres (27.9 ft) wide and about 250.5 metres (821.9 ft) long. It has an operating rating (maximum allowable weight of a vehicle using the bridge) of 60.8 metric tons (67 ST). In 2007, the average daily traffic count for the bridge was 3,646 vehicles.
West Branch Susquehanna River
The West Branch Susquehanna River is one of the two principal branches, along with the North Branch, of the Susquehanna River in the northeastern United States. The North Branch, which rises in upstate New York, is generally regarded as the extension of the main branch, with the shorter West Branch...
between Lock Haven
Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
The city of Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, micropolitan statistical area, itself part of the...
on the south bank and Lockport on the north. The original structure, completed for the Lock Haven Bridge Company by the E. Kirkbride Company in 1852, was a covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
about 800 feet (243.8 m) long. A two-story toll house
Toll house
A tollhouse or toll house is a building with accommodation for a toll collector, beside a tollgate on a toll road or canal. Many tollhouses were built by turnpike trusts in England, Wales and Scotland during the 18th and early 19th centuries...
, 48 feet (14.6 m) long and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide was later added at the foot of the bridge on the Lock Haven side. Travelers using the bridge passed through an archway in the center of the toll house. The bridge included a covered pedestrian walkway on the downstream side.
After the wooden bridge was destroyed by fire in 1919, it was replaced by an iron bridge, and a steel girder bridge
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
replaced the iron bridge in 1986. State Route 664
Pennsylvania Route 664
Pennsylvania Route 664 is a long state highway located in Clinton and Lycoming counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at State Route 120 in Lock Haven, while the northern terminus is at State Route 44 on the Clinton-Lycoming county line in the community of Haneyville...
, the southern terminus of which is in Lock Haven, crosses the river over the steel bridge.
The bridge is slightly upstream of Lock Haven's Canal Park, featuring remnants of the Bald Eagle Crosscut Canal. It is also slightly upstream of the Lock Haven Dam (also known as the Dunnstown
Dunnstown, Pennsylvania
Dunnstown is a census-designated place in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,365 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dunnstown is located at ....
Dam), built in the 19th century to provide water to the West Branch Canal
Pennsylvania Canal (West Branch Division)
The West Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal ran from the canal basin at Northumberland, Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River with the main stem of the Susquehanna River, north through Muncy, then west through Williamsport, Jersey Shore, and Lock Haven to its...
, which ran parallel to the Lockport and Dunnstown side of the river. Canal boats crossed the pool behind the dam by means of a cable ferry
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
between Lock No. 34, about 2000 feet (609.6 m) east of the bridge on the Lockport side, and Lock No. 35 on the Lock Haven side.
The steel bridge is 8.5 metres (27.9 ft) wide and about 250.5 metres (821.9 ft) long. It has an operating rating (maximum allowable weight of a vehicle using the bridge) of 60.8 metric tons (67 ST). In 2007, the average daily traffic count for the bridge was 3,646 vehicles.
Works cited
- Miller, Isabel Winner (1966). Old Town: A History of Early Lock Haven, 1769–1845. Lock Haven: The Annie Halenbake Ross Library. .
- Wagner, ed., Dean R. (1979). Historic Lock Haven: An Architectural Survey. Lock Haven: Clinton County Historical Society. .