The Reedy Point Bridge carries

Delaware Route 9 Delaware Route 9 (DE 9) is a state highway that runs from DE 1 near Dover Air Force Base in Kent County north to DE 2 in the city of Wilmington in New Castle County. DE 9 is a designated scenic highway known as the ...

across the

Chesapeake & Delaware Canal The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a -long, -wide and -deep ship canal that connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay in the states of Delaware and Maryland in the United States. In the mid‑17th century, mapmaker Aug ...

Delaware City, Delaware Delaware City is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2010 census. It is a small port town on the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and is the location of the Forts Ferry Cros ...

, USA. A two-lane

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...

similar in appearance to the

Platt Bridge Platt Bridge, colloquially known as Platt Wazz, is a settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, south of Wigan town centre along the spine of the A573 road. Historically part of the Hindley Urban District, in ...

Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The nort ...

(near

Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The airport served 19.6 million passengers annually in 2021, making it the 21st busiest airport in the United States. The airport is located from t ...

), the Reedy Point Bridge was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and opened in 1968, replacing a

lift bridge A vertical-lift bridge or just lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck. The vertical lift offers several benefits over other movable bridges such as the bascule and swi ...

that crossed the C&D Canal prior to the 1955 widening project. Unlike the nearby St. Georges Bridge, the Reedy Point Bridge spans over salt marshes at the southern approach (which subjects Delaware Route 9 to periodic

tidal flooding Tidal flooding, also known as sunny day flooding or nuisance flooding, is the temporary inundation of low-lying areas, especially streets, during exceptionally high tide events, such as at full and new moons. The highest tides of the year may be ...

), the canal itself, and both Fort Dupont and the Governor Bacon Health Center. An obsolete double-leaf bascule drawbridge, located just less than ⅛ of a mile north of the northern abutment, allows Delaware Route 9 to cross over the Delaware Ship Channel (itself an abandoned section of the original C&D Canal) and is technically part of the Reedy Point Bridge system. Both the high-level bridge and the drawbridge are maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 2018, the old drawbridge was replaced with a fixed span. From the top of the Reedy Point Bridge driving northbound, travelers may see points in three other states with Pennsylvania 12 miles straight ahead, New Jersey immediately across the Delaware River, and Maryland 8 miles to the left. Behind the Delaware Memorial Bridge on a clear day, travelers may see a glimpse of the two Comcast towers in Philadelphia. The bridge is visible on a clear day from the top floors of some skyscrapers in Philadelphia, about 35 miles away.

References

External links

*http://portal.delaware.gov/pano_rpb/default.shtml 360° Panoramic View - Reedy Point Bridge * Bridges completed in 1968 Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridges in New Castle County, Delaware Road bridges in Delaware Cantilever bridges in the United States Truss bridges in the United States {{Delaware-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links