A. B. Cohen
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Abraham Burton Cohen (March 9, 1882 – February 11, 1956) was an American
civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
notable for his role in designing innovative and record-breaking concrete bridges such as the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...
's
Tunkhannock Viaduct Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct (also known as the Nicholson Bridge and the Tunkhannock Viaduct) is a concrete deck arch bridge on the Nicholson Cutoff rail line segment of the Norfolk Southern Railway Sunbury Line that spans Tunkhannock Creek in Ni ...
, the world's largest concrete structure when completed. Cohen was an active member of the
American Concrete Institute The American Concrete Institute (ACI, formerly National Association of Cement Users or NACU) is a non-profit technical society and standards developing organization. ACI was founded in January 1905 during a convention in Indianapolis. The Institu ...
and earned ACI's Wason Medal for Most Meritorious Paper in 1927.


Biography

Cohen was Jewish, born in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and died in
East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...
. He earned a degree in civil engineering from
Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
in 1905 and an honorary doctorate in 1949. Cohen spent a majority of his career with the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad, was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey, and by ferry with New York City, a distance of . The railroad was ...
(DL&W) before leaving in 1920 to form his own consulting practice in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. As a consulting engineer, he designed a number of concrete spans in
Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...
,
Binghamton, New York Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the c ...
, and elsewhere. At least two of his works, the Tunkhannock Viaduct and Scranton's
Harrison Avenue Bridge The Harrison Avenue Bridge was a concrete deck arch bridge carrying Harrison Avenue (unsigned SR 6011) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. History and architectural features Its three spans included an open-spandrel ribbed arch over Roar ...
, are on the National Register of Historic Places. He died on February 11, 1956.


Selected projects

* 1908
Delaware River Viaduct The Delaware River Viaduct is a reinforced concrete railroad bridge across the Delaware River about south of the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, United States. It was built from 1908 to 1910 as part of the Lackawanna Cut-Of ...
on DL&W Lackawanna Cut-Off * 1909
Paulinskill Viaduct The Paulinskill Viaduct, also known as the Hainesburg Viaduct, is a reinforced concrete railroad bridge that crosses the Paulins Kill in Knowlton Township, New Jersey. When completed in 1910, it was the largest reinforced concrete structure in ...
on DL&W Lackawanna Cut-Off * 1913
Tunkhannock Viaduct Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct (also known as the Nicholson Bridge and the Tunkhannock Viaduct) is a concrete deck arch bridge on the Nicholson Cutoff rail line segment of the Norfolk Southern Railway Sunbury Line that spans Tunkhannock Creek in Ni ...
on DL&W Clarks Summit-Hallstead Cutoff * 1916 DL&W track elevation in
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...
and
South Orange, New Jersey South Orange is a historic suburban Village (New Jersey), village located in Essex County, New Jersey. It was formally known as the Township of South Orange Village from October 1978 until April 25, 2024. As of the 2020 United States census, ...
* 1921
Harrison Avenue Bridge The Harrison Avenue Bridge was a concrete deck arch bridge carrying Harrison Avenue (unsigned SR 6011) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. History and architectural features Its three spans included an open-spandrel ribbed arch over Roar ...
in Scranton, Pennsylvania * 1924 Hudson County Boulevard Bridge at
Journal Square Journal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey. It is named for the newspaper ''Jersey Journal'', whose headquarters were located there from 1911 to 2013. The "square" itself is at the ...
,
Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
* 1946 Spruce Street Bridge repairs in Scranton, Pennsylvania


Bibliography

* * * * *


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Abraham Burton
1882 births 1956 deaths American bridge engineers Concrete pioneers Purdue University College of Engineering alumni Lackawanna Cut-Off People from East Orange, New Jersey Engineers from Chicago Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Engineers from New Jersey