Clarks Ferry Bridge
Clarks Ferry Bridge as seen from North Market Street
Coordinates40°23′59″N 77°00′33″W / 40.3997°N 77.0091°W / 40.3997; -77.0091
Carries
CrossesSusquehanna River
LocaleDauphin County
Maintained byPennDOT
Characteristics
DesignPlate girder bridge[1]
History
Opened1828 (first span)
1925 (second span)
1986 (current span)
Statistics
TollNone
Location

The Clarks Ferry Bridge is a plate girder bridge that carries U.S. Routes 22 and 322 across the Susquehanna River near Duncannon, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is a 4 lane expressway standard bridge. The bridge also provides safe passage for hikers, bikers, and pedestrians using the Appalachian Trail and BicyclePA Route J. It was completed in November 1986 replacing a 1925 concrete arch toll bridge.[2]

History

The bridge's name is derived from John Clark, a Scottish settler who in 1788 operated a ferry across the river and the next year established a tavern on the West Shore to cater to riders. After John and his oldest son Daniel both passed away in 1800, youngest son Robert inherited and continued to successfully operate the ferry and tavern. It became such a large draw to travelers that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania decided by the mid 1820's that a permanent bridge should be established.[3]

An earliest covered bridge was at this site, built in 1828. The first Clark's Ferry Bridge was part of the Main Line Pennsylvania Canal built in 1828. Mules walked on a cantilevered walkway outside the structure and towed canal boats across the river. The dam below the bridge was known as Green's Dam and created a calm surface for the canal boats. The covered bridge that stood in this location was considered at the time to be the longest covered bridge in the world at 2088 feet. Following floods, fires, and large volume, it was replaced in 1925 with a two-lane concrete arch bridge. This bridge carried a toll until 1957, and was replaced with the current bridge in 1986.[4]

Future

In 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced an improvement project for the bridge, including rehabilitation of the concrete deck, addition of a concrete barrier (replacing the current center turning lane in place), and safety improvements to the adjacent interchange with U.S. Route 11 and U.S. Route 15. Construction is anticipated to start in 2026.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "US 22 WB; SR 0022 over SUSQUEHANNA RIVER". BridgeReports.com. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "Susquehanna River Trail". Archived from the original on 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  3. ↑ "Clark's Tavern – The Historical Society of Perry County, PA". historicalsocietyofperrycounty.org. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  4. ↑ "Clarks Ferry once 'had the reputation of being the longest covered wooden bridge in the world'". PennLive. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  5. ↑ "Clarks Ferry Bridge improvement project is 4 years away but comment time is now". Patriot News. PennLive. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2023.

40°23′59″N 77°00′33″W / 40.3997°N 77.0091°W / 40.3997; -77.0091

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