Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Bridge No. 1

Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Bridge No. 1

Company type	Railroad bridge
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1901
Founder	American Bridge Company (builder)
Defunct	1976 (rail operations discontinued)
Fate	Dismantled in 2018; pilings retained for new pedestrian/bicycle bridge
Headquarters	Philadelphia , United States
Area served	Schuylkill River crossing between Kingsessing and Grays Ferry neighborhoods, Philadelphia
Products	Swing steel through truss bridge for railroad use
Owner	City of Philadelphia (since 2017)

Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Bridge No. 1 was a swing steel through truss that spanned the Schuylkill River, connecting the Kingsessing and Grays Ferry neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Constructed in 1901 by the American Bridge Company for the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, ownership later passed to successor railroads: the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad, followed by Penn Central Transportation Company, and ultimately Conrail, which discontinued operations on the bridge in 1976.

In 2017, Conrail transferred ownership of the bridge to the City of Philadelphia to facilitate the expansion of the multiuse Schuylkill River Trail. The bridge’s truss and superstructure were dismantled in August 2018, while the original pilings were retained to serve as foundations for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge.

The replacement structure, designated Schuylkill Crossing, is projected to be completed by mid-2025.

Background (to 1901)

This crossing point has been significant since at least 1673, when a ferry operated here. During the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777, a pontoon bridge was constructed by British forces; it was subsequently maintained and repaired by American troops following flood damage. In 1838, the PW&B built its first permanent crossing—the Newkirk Viaduct—a covered wooden bridge accommodating both road and rail traffic that linked Philadelphia directly with Wilmington and Baltimore. Initially, locomotives were not permitted to cross; instead, rail cars were horse-drawn across the river and along three miles of track to the PW&B terminus until 1844. A draw span was installed in 1891, but maintenance difficulties persisted throughout that decade.

The opening of an adjacent highway bridge by Philadelphia in 1901 alleviated road traffic on PW&B’s structure and prompted construction of PW&B Bridge No. 1.

Design and construction (1901–1902)

The bridge incorporated a 226-foot swing span rotating on a cylindrical stone pier situated mid-river, safeguarded by a wooden pile fender designed to protect against vessel impacts. The American Bridge Company assembled the swing span atop this fender while it remained open to avoid interrupting river navigation. Flanking the swing span were two approach spans measuring 97 feet each. The steam-powered operating system reflected typical movable bridge technology of the early twentieth century. The bridge was finalized and opened for use in 1902.

Operation and abandonment (1902–1976)

The maximum permitted speed across the bridge was limited to 15 miles per hour. Following Conrail’s acquisition of Pennsylvania Railroad assets, the bridge was abandoned in 1976 and left permanently in an open position.

Post-abandonment (1977–present)

In 1987, ownership transferred to an unidentified party.

In 2012, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter proposed rehabilitating the bridge as part of the Schuylkill River Trail bicycle path. The proposal included elevating the structure approximately 33 feet to enable uninterrupted passage for boats—including towboats servicing the upstream Trigen power plant—without requiring bridge openings.

Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson introduced legislation in May 2016 for Philadelphia to acquire both the bridge and adjacent property from Conrail.

By November 2017, Conrail conveyed ownership to the City of Philadelphia, which initiated plans for a $13 million project to replace the existing truss with a pedestrian and bicycle trail structure named "Conrail Crossing." Design responsibilities were assigned to Amman & Whitney, an architecture and engineering firm. The new design aimed to preserve river navigation clearance by raising approach spans, with initial completion targeted for 2018.

On August 23, 2018, demolition removed the original truss and superstructure while retaining pilings to support the new bike-pedestrian bridge foundation. Completion timelines shifted from 2019 due to various delays including construction complexities, challenges related to truss design and fabrication, as well as supply chain disruptions linked to COVID-19 affecting materials such as steel trusses and mechanical components. In 2020, a barge collision resulted in legal disputes over responsibility, compounded by storm damage impacting components fabricated in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

As of June 2023, Schuylkill Crossing was anticipated to be finished by summer 2024; however, by October 2024 this schedule extended into mid-2025. In July 2025, installation of final truss sections occurred, with remaining tasks including joining segments and pouring concrete decking expected to conclude later that year.

See also

• List of bridges recorded by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
• List of Schuylkill River crossings

External links

• "The River As It Was, The River As It Is, The River As It Should Be" authored by John Frederick Lewis, City Parks Association, Philadelphia, 1924.
  • 1924 photograph captioned "The Present State of the East Bank of the Schuylkill at Gray's Ferry Where Our Citizens Met Washington on His Way to His Inauguration."
  • 1924 photograph captioned "Looking down the River, East Bank, Below Gray's Ferry Where Our Citizens Assembled to Greet Washington."
• 1969 Pennsylvania Railroad traffic diagram for PW&B No. 1 Bridge
• Timelapse footage showing the 2018 dismantling of the bridge superstructure.