St. Georges Bridge (Delaware)
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The St. Georges Bridge is a steel
tied arch bridge A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward-directed horizontal forces of the arch(es) are borne as tension by a chord tying the arch ends rather than by the ground or the bridge foundations. This strengthened chord may be the deck ...
that carries U.S. Route 13 (US 13) 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 Augus ...
in
St. Georges, Delaware Saint Georges is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated town and former municipality situated on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States, approximately midway between the Delawa ...
. Built by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...
and opened in 1942 as a high-level crossing, the bridge was the first four-lane, high-level crossing to span the canal. It replaced a previous
vertical 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 swin ...
which was damaged when a German merchant ship collided with it.


History and near replacement

On January 10, 1939, the ''S.S. Waukegan'' struck and destroyed the original St. Georges Bridge, killing the bridge tender. The replacement steel tied arch bridge over the canal opened on January 31, 1942. This bridge was the first four-lane crossing of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Prior to the opening of the paralleling
Delaware Route 1 Delaware Route 1 (DE 1) is the longest numbered state highway in the U.S. state of Delaware. The route runs from the Maryland state line in Fenwick Island, Sussex County, where the road continues south into that state as Maryland ...
turnpike and the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge in 1995 (since renamed the
Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge The Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge (originally the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge and also referred to as the Roth Bridge) is a concrete and steel cable-stayed bridge that spans the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal near St. Georges, Delaware ...
), the bridge was the main north–south crossing in Delaware, as such, suffered from a deteriorating concrete deck and support beams that forced both the
Delaware Department of Transportation The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) is an agency of the U.S. state of Delaware. The Secretary of Transportation is Shanté Hastings. The agency was established in 1917 and has its headquarters in Dover, Delaware, Dover. The depar ...
(DelDOT) and the Army Corps of Engineers to place a weight restriction and forced all through truck traffic onto the paralleling Summit Bridge (then US 301, now DE 71/ DE 896), to the west. The late U.S. Senator Bill Roth, who saw the need for a new crossing, was a main proponent in securing federal funding for the new C&D Canal Bridge. After the opening of the paralleling C&D Canal Bridge, the Army Corps of Engineers closed the St. Georges Bridge in anticipation of demolishing the structure. Local opposition arose, especially from residents in St. Georges, whose town spans both sides of the canal; these residents would have had to travel out of their way and pay an additional toll to go from one half of the town to the other. Instead of tearing down the bridge, the Army Corps of Engineers, using data issued from the Delaware Department of Transportation and the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, rehabilitated the bridge between 1998 and 2001. A new concrete deck was constructed, and deteriorated beams and joints were replaced. The lead-based paint on the bridge was removed and replaced with a lead-free primer and salt-resistant enamel (the C&D Canal connects two
ria A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...
s, having from time to time been inundated with brackish water during dry spells), and the bridge was reopened to local traffic. In September 2018, the St. Georges bridge was again closed for repairs, causing US 13 traffic to be detoured over the nearby Roth Bridge. The repairs were complete within four months of closing, reopening during the week of January 27, 2019. As a result of the need to maintain quick access to both U.S. 13 and the Del. Rt. 1 Turnpike, both the St. Georges Bridge and the C&D Canal Bridge have no tolls (the Army Corps of Engineers allowed DelDOT to build a South St. Georges interchange to U.S. 13 between the bridge and the Biddles Corner toll facility, with provisions to build another exit north of the bridge if needed). Prior to 1992, the St. Georges Bridge also served as the crossing for U.S. Route 301, but this was shifted that year to the Summit Bridge further west. After construction of a new toll freeway that opened on January 10, 2019, US 301 uses neither bridge, and terminates at DE 1 just north of the Biddles Corner tollbooths. Also during this time, the northbound free access to the bridge was moved 1 mile south to the intersection of US-13 and Port Penn Road at the Biddles Corner tollbooth. The new ramp passes between the tollbooths and the plaza building (no tolls collected) and rises to merge briefly onto US-301 north just before its end at DE-1. This was done to accommodate the US-301 expressway. The southbound free exit remains in its original location exiting to Lorewood Grove Road under the bridge.


Lead paint incident

Lead paint exposure created a public health risk in 2000 during the sandblasting and repainting of St. George's Bridge over the C&D Canal. The Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) took emergency actions after wind blew lead paint chips beyond the reach of a protective tarp and onto the surrounding residential community. DPH Officials began going door to door to warn residents about lead paint chipping from St. George's Bridge in February 2000, handing out information about the dangers of lead, a guide on foods that naturally fight lead poisoning, and providing residents with information on free blood testing. DNREC filed an enforcement action against the US Army Corps of Engineers in March 2000. DNREC required the USACE to 1) employ “state of the art technology” to contain falling paint chips, 2) set up a hotline for residents to report falling chips, 3) clean up fallen paint chips, 4) decontaminate soil tainted by fallen paint chips, and 5) conduct regular inspections around the bridge for any additional fallen paint chips. In August 2000 DNREC called on USACE to remove the top foot of soil from contaminated areas in 37 yards that had lead levels of 400 or more parts per million.


See also

* * * List of crossings of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal


References


External links

*
Aerial photographic image at Wikimapia
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Bridges , place =
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 Augus ...
, bridge = St. Georges Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream text = West , upstream =
Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge The Senator William V. Roth Jr. Bridge (originally the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge and also referred to as the Roth Bridge) is a concrete and steel cable-stayed bridge that spans the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal near St. Georges, Delaware ...
, upstream signs = , downstream text = East , downstream =
Reedy Point Bridge The Reedy Point Bridge carries Delaware Route 9 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal in Delaware City, Delaware, USA. A two-lane cantilever bridge similar in appearance to the George C. Platt Bridge, Platt Bridge in Southwest Philadelphia (ne ...
, downstream signs = Bridges completed in 1942 Chesapeake & Delaware Canal U.S. Route 13 U.S. Route 301 Tied arch bridges in the United States Bridges in New Castle County, Delaware Road bridges in Delaware Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System 1942 establishments in Delaware Steel bridges in the United States