The Chestnut Street Bridge is a bridge across the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It ...

that carries Chestnut Street in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

. The original 1861 bridge was "a bridge whose scale and use of cast iron made it singular in the United States and throughout the world". The 1957 bridge, now one way, helps connect

West Philadelphia West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the nort ...

with the rest of the city.

History

Construction of the first Chestnut Street Bridge, designed by Strickland Kneass, started on 4 September 1861. That bridge cost $500,000, was 1,528 feet (466 m) long, and was constructed of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impu ...

, with approaches and piers of granite. When the bridge formally opened on 23 June 1866, it was the second connection between

Center City, Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous w ...

and West Philadelphia, after the Market Street Bridge. In 1957, to make way for the

Schuylkill Expressway The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as "the Schuylkill", is a freeway through southern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 (I-76) in the U.S. state of Penns ...

, the western pier of the bridge was removed, and the main spans of the bridge were replaced. In 2011, a weight restriction was placed on it due to its age. In August, 2019, the bridge was closed to vehicles and pedestrians for one year to repair the steel superstructure and replace the deck, but has been extended due to COVID-19 until March 19, 2022. File:Chestnut Street Bridge 1869.jpg, Chestnut Street Bridge 1869 File:Chestnut Street bridge, by Bartlett & French.jpg, Stereo image pair of the Chestnut Street Bridge ''c.'' 1865-1907

In film

* In the 2007 film ''

Shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can b ...

'', FBI agent Nick Memphis (played by Michael Peña) is abducted while walking across the Chestnut Street Bridge. * One episode of ''

Hack Hack may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Hack'' (Unix video game), a 1984 roguelike video game * ''.hack'' (video game series), a series of video games by the multimedia franchise ''.hack'' Music * ''Hack'' (album), a 199 ...

'' was filmed on the bridge.

References

External links

1869 photo of the bridge
*
The Chestnut Street Bridge, Philadelphia, July 28, 1865, by D. J. Kennedy, Historical Society of Philadelphia
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Chestnut Street Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream = Market Street Bridge , upstream signs =
, downstream = Walnut Street Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges over the Schuylkill River Bridges completed in 1957 Bridges in Philadelphia Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia Road bridges in Pennsylvania Steel bridges in the United States

History

In film

See also

References

External links