University Avenue Bridge
Encyclopedia
The University Avenue Bridge is a double-leaf bascule bridge
crossing the Schuylkill River
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. The four-lane bridge links University Avenue in West Philadelphia
with South 34th Street in the Grays Ferry section of South Philadelphia
. It measures 536 feet long, 100 feet wide, and clears the water by 30 feet.
Built in 1930, the bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on May 26, 1994.
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
crossing the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. The four-lane bridge links University Avenue in West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
with South 34th Street in the Grays Ferry section of South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
. It measures 536 feet long, 100 feet wide, and clears the water by 30 feet.
Built in 1930, the bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on May 26, 1994.
External links
- 1917 drawing of proposed bridge, PhillyHistory.org
- 1929 Photo of unfinished bridge, PhillyHistory.org
- 1929 photo of drawbridge open, PhillyHistory.org
- 1950 photo of bridge, PhillyHistory.org
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. PA-503, "University Avenue Bridge"
- Geographic Names Information SystemGeographic Names Information SystemThe Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
ID No. 1196400