The Mont Clare Bridge (also Phoenixville–Mont Clare Bridge) is a crossing of the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...

between Mont Clare and

Phoenixville Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek an ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, USA. The bridge was also referred to as the Intercounty Bridge, as it connects Montgomery and

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

counties. The bridge abuts a shorter county bridge across the

Schuylkill Canal The Schuylkill Canal, or Schuylkill Navigation, was a system of interconnected canals and slack-water pools along the Schuylkill River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, built as a commercial waterway in the early 19th-century. Chartered in 1815 ...

and

towpath A towpath is a road or trail on the bank of a river, canal, or other inland waterway. The purpose of a towpath is to allow a land vehicle, Working animal, beasts of burden, or a team of human pullers to tow a boat, often a barge. This mod ...

on the Mont Clare side to complete the crossing. The crossing carries Bridge Street ( PA 29) and the

Schuylkill River Trail The Schuylkill River Trail ( , ) is a multi-use trail along the banks of the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania. Partially complete, the trail is ultimately planned to run about from the river's headwaters in Schuylkill County, Penns ...

History

Ford

In early America, the crossing was a

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

known originally as Indian or Indiantown Ford. Then successively as Gordon's, Starr's and Jacobs' Ford. The crossing gained some notoriety as Gordon's Ford when it was used by American and British troops during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. In the fall of 1777, British troops under

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

forced a passage at Gordon's Ford and at Fatland Ford, further downstream. In response,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

maneuvered the Continental Army further west to protect his supply line and the Congress, then in

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. This left

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

lightly defended, leading to its capture. Gordon's Ford is mentioned in the writings of both Washington and Cornwallis.

1844 bridge

In the winter of 1843–1844, local businessman

Joseph Whitaker Joseph Whitaker may refer to: *Joseph Whitaker (industrialist) (1789–1870), American iron master and landowner * Joseph Whitaker (naturalist) (1850–1932), English naturalist *Joseph Whitaker (ornithologist) Joseph Isaac Spadafora Whitaker ( ...

, while in the legislature, "obtained a charter for the incorporation of a company to erect a bridge over the Schuylkill at the site of th ford". That summer, a wooden

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

was constructed, it was one of the longest in regional history. In early 1915, state highway engineers formally recommended to the County Commissioners that the bridge be replaced. Then fate took a hand and the covered bridge burned down on May 9, 1915. A temporary wooden replacement bridge was built on piles, just down stream from the previous, until the permanent replacement could be built.

1916 bridge

In December 1915, the

County Commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the County (United States)#County government, county government in some U.S. state, states of ...

s of Montgomery and Chester Counties requested sealed bids for a five span, concrete arch bridge. In 1916 construction started on the new bridge, which was completed in April 1917. The 1916 bridge was designed by

B. H. Davis B is the second letter of the Latin alphabet. B may also refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Astronomy * Astronomical objects in the Barnard list of dark nebulae (abbreviation B) * Latitude (''b'') in the galactic coordinate syste ...

and constructed by Ambler-Davis Co. Each of the five concrete arches spanned , and the cost was US$103,250.

1997 bridge

In 1996 a contract was let to replace the 1916 bridge. The new bridge was designed by HDR, Inc.'s

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

office and Czop/Specter, Inc. of Worcester, Montgomery County, PA office. Construction was done by Allan A. Myers Inc. of

Worcester, Pennsylvania Worcester is an unincorporated community in Worcester Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlant ...

. Many design decisions were based on the requirement to keep the closure of State Route 29 to a minimum. The project was kept to a short time line by reusing the existing bridge foundations, using steel girders, and an incentive clause in the contract. The new bridge opened in 1997.Historical marker on 1997 bridge. The new bridge was the first in Pennsylvania to include "shock transmission units", an earthquake damage mitigation technology.

Schuylkill River Trail Connector

When Phoenixville opened their portion of the

(SRT) in 2015, it still left a gap between SRT segments west of Phoenixville and the exiting SRT between Mont Clare and Philadelphia. The sidewalk and unmarked bike lane, of the 1997 bridge, unofficially filled that gap for walkers and cyclists. But the sidewalk and bike lane were not built to trail standards. They would be congested during peak trail usage and were not protected from vehicular traffic. In September, 2012, the counties and regional planners had issued a Request for Proposal to study improving the pedestrian and bicycle "Connector" on the bridge. Initial plans for the Connector were presented at an open house on June 12, 2013, and were met with favorable opinions. In October 2019, construction started on the Connector. The sidewalk and bike lane were replaced with a level 10 foot wide trail segment and a concrete barrier was installed between the trail and the vehicle lanes. The original railing above the bridge edge was replaced with new railing. The new barrier was topped with the same railing on the Chester County half. The original December completion date was missed and then the project was further delayed by the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. Although not completely finished, the Connector opened for use in the summer of 2020. , there was still a section of the new railing missing.

References

External links

''Reading Eagle'' article on 1915 fire

HSPA Image of temporary bridge, ''c''. 1915-6

Postcard of 1916 "Intercounty Bridge"

''Modern Steel Construction'' Merit Award article (Photos)
PDF) {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Mont Clare Bridge , bridge signs = PA-29

, upstream = Rail bridge at Phoenixville
Black Rock Dam , upstream signs = , downstream = Dam at Oaks
Rail bridge at Oaks
Pawlings Road Bridge
Sullivan's Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1844 Bridges completed in 1917 Bridges completed in 1997 Bridges in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Bridges in Chester County, Pennsylvania Road bridges in Pennsylvania Bridges over the Schuylkill River Steel bridges in the United States Girder bridges in the United States