Kinzua Bridge

File:Kinzuabridgeold3.jpg

In 1882, Thomas L. Kane, president of the New York, Lake Erie and Western Railway (NYLE&W), was faced with the challenge of building a branch line off the main line in Pennsylvania, from Bradford south to the coalfields in Elk County.{{cite video |people=Linda Devlin (Producer) |title=Tracks across the sky |publisher=Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau |year=2004 |location=Bradford, Pennsylvania |oclc=57046003 |medium=DVD}}{{Cite news |title=Removal of Kinzua Viaduct |date=August 21, 1890 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1890/08/21/103260325.pdf |access-date=January 28, 2009}} The fastest way to do so was to build a bridge across the Kinzua Valley. The only other alternative would have been to lay an additional {{convert|8|mi}} of track over rough terrain.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/kinzuabridge/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106212303/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/kinzuabridge/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2011 |title=Kinzua Bridge State Park |access-date=October 4, 2007 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources}} When built, the bridge was larger than any ever attempted and over twice as large as the largest similar structure at the time, the Portage Bridge over the Genesee River in western New York.{{Sfn|Packard|1977|loc=sec. 8}}

The first Kinzua Bridge was built by a crew of 40 from {{convert|1552|ST|MT|0}} of wrought iron in just 94 working days, between May 10 and August 29, 1882.{{cite web |url=https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/kinzua-railway-viaduct |title=Kinzua Railway Viaduct |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |work=Historic Landmarks |access-date=January 26, 2022}}{{Sfn|Packard|1977|loc=sec. 7}}{{cite news |work=Pittsburgh Post–Gazette |agency=Associated Press |date=July 22, 2003 |title=High Winds Topple Historic Railroad Bridge |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20030722kinzuar5.asp |access-date=October 3, 2007}} The reason for the short construction time was that scaffolding was not used in the bridge's construction; instead a gin pole was used to build the first tower, then a traveling crane was built atop it and used in building the second tower.{{Sfn|Packard|1977|loc=sec. 7}} The process was then repeated across all 20 towers.

The bridge was designed by the engineer Octave Chanute and was built by the Phoenix Iron Works, which specialized in producing patented, hollow iron tubes called "Phoenix columns". Because of the design of these columns, it was often mistakenly believed that the bridge had been built out of wooden poles. The bridge's 110 sandstone masonry piers were quarried from the hillside used for the foundation of the bridge. The tallest tower had a base that was {{convert|193|ft}} wide. The bridge was designed to support a load of {{convert|266|ST|MT|0}}, and was estimated to cost between $167,000 and $275,000.{{Sfn|Packard|1977|loc=sec. 7}}{{Cite journal |title=Notable new bridges |journal=Railway World |volume=32 |page=77 |date=January 28, 1888}}{{Cite journal |title=The Kinzua Viaduct |journal=Engineering |volume=34 |page=613 |date=December 29, 1882}}

On completion, the bridge was the tallest railroad bridge in the world and was advertised as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".{{cite journal |last=Thornton |first=W. George |title=Tracks across the Sky |date=August 1949 |journal=Erie Railroad Magazine |pages=4–7}} Six of the bridge's 20 towers were taller than the Brooklyn Bridge. Excursion trains from as far away as Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh would come just to cross the Kinzua Bridge, which held the height record until the Garabit viaduct, {{convert|401|ft}} tall, was completed in France in 1884.{{cite web |title=Kinzua Viaduct |work=Historical Markers |year=2003 |publisher=Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |access-date=June 23, 2008 |url=http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=641}} Trains crossing the bridge were restricted to a speed of {{convert|5|mph|km/h}} because the locomotive, and sometimes the wind, caused the bridge to vibrate. People sometimes visited the bridge in hopes of finding the loot of a bank robber, who supposedly hid $40,000 in gold and currency under or near it.

By 1893, the NYLE&W had gone bankrupt and was merged with the Erie Railroad, which became the owner of the bridge. By the start of the 20th century, locomotives were almost 85 percent heavier and the iron bridge could no longer safely carry trains. The last traffic crossed the old bridge on May 14, 1900, and removal of the old iron began on May 24.

The new bridge was designed by C.R. Grimm and was built by the Elmira Bridge Company out of {{convert|3358|ST|MT|0}} of steel, at a cost of $275,000.{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=December 22, 2002 |title=Officials fear popular PA tourist attraction is near collapse |work=USA Today |access-date=January 29, 2009 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/features/2002/2002-12-21-kinzua-viaduct.htm}} Construction began on May 26, starting from both ends of the old bridge. A crew of between 100 and 150 worked 10-hour days for almost four months to complete the new steel frame. Two Howe truss "timber travelers", each {{convert|180|ft|m|-1}} long and {{convert|16|ft|m|0}} deep, were used to build the towers.{{Sfn|Packard|1977|loc=sec. 7, p. 1}} Each "traveler" was supported by a pair of the original wrought-iron towers, separated by the one that was to be replaced. After the middle tower was demolished and a new steel one built in its place, the traveler was moved down the line by one tower and the process was repeated. Construction of each new tower and the spans adjoining it took one week to complete.{{Sfn|Packard|1977|loc=sec. 7, p. 1}} The bolts used to hold the towers to the anchor blocks were reused from the first bridge, which would eventually play a major role in the bridge's demise.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/app/appe.pdf |title=Structural Analysis - Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct |date=9 October 2003 |access-date=30 January 2021|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922031441/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/app/appe.pdf|archive-date=22 September 2012}} Grimm, the designer of the bridge, later admitted that the bolts should have been replaced.{{Cite journal |title=Discussion on the Kinzua Viaduct |journal=Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers |page=63 |date=December 1901 |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |issn=0066-0604}}

The Kinzua Viaduct reopened to traffic on September 25, 1900. The new bridge was able to safely accommodate Erie's heavy 2-8-2 Mikados. The Erie Railroad maintained a station at the Kinzua Viaduct. Constructed between 1911 and 1916,{{Cite web |url=http://www.jon-n-bevliles.net/RAILROAD/PTTs/erie081911.pdf |title=Erie Time Tables |date=August 1911 |publisher=Erie Railroad |access-date=June 14, 2011 |location=Jersey City, New Jersey}} the station was not staffed by an agent.{{citation|title=List of Station Names and Numbers|date=May 1, 1916|publisher=Erie Railroad|location=Jersey City, New Jersey|work=Baggage Department}} The station was closed sometime between 1923 and 1927.{{Cite map |publisher=P & B Company |location=New York City |url=http://www.jon-n-bevliles.net/RAILROAD/Erie%20ETTs/eriemap.jpg |cartography=M.B. Brown |title=Erie Railroad With Branches and Connections |year=1923 |access-date=June 14, 2011}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.jon-n-bevliles.net/RAILROAD/PTTs/erie082127.pdf |title=Erie Railroad Time Tables|date=August 21, 1927 |publisher=Erie Railroad |location=Jersey City, New Jersey |access-date=June 14, 2011}}

File:Kinzuabridge1.jpg (HAER) photo of the bridge in July 1971|alt=A black and white aerial photo of the Kinzua Bridge crossing the valley]]

Train crews would sometimes play a trick on a brakeman on his first journey on the line. When the train was a short distance from the bridge, the crew would send the brakeman over the rooftops of the cars to check on a small supposed problem. As the train crossed the bridge, the rookie "suddenly found himself terrified, staring down {{convert|300|ft|m|-1|spell=in }} from the roof of a rocking boxcar". Even after being reconstructed, the bridge still had a speed limit of {{convert|5|mph|km/h|0}}. As the bridge aged, heavy trains pulled by two steam locomotives had to stop so the engines could cross the bridge one at a time. Diesel locomotives were lighter and did not face that limit; the last steam locomotive for commercial service crossed on October 5, 1950.

The Erie Railroad obtained trackage rights on the nearby Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) line in the late 1950s, allowing it to bypass the aging Kinzua Bridge. Regular commercial service ended on June 21, 1959, and the Erie sold the bridge to the Kovalchick Salvage Company of Indiana, Pennsylvania, for $76,000. The bridge was reopened for one day in October 1959 when a wreck on the B&O line forced trains to be rerouted across it. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Kinzua Bridge "was a critical structure in facilitating the transport of coal from Northwestern Pennsylvania to the Eastern Great Lakes region, and is credited with causing an increase in coal mining that led to significant economic growth."

{{main article|Kinzua Bridge State Park}}

File:Kinzua Bridge State Park 003.jpg

Nick Kovalchick, head of the Kovalchick Salvage Company, which then owned the bridge, was reluctant to dismantle it. On seeing it for the first time he is supposed to have said "There will never be another bridge like this."{{cite book |last=Cupper |first=Dan |title=Our Priceless Heritage: Pennsylvania's State Parks 1893–1993 |year=1993 |publisher=Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks |location=Harrisburg |isbn= 0-89271-056-X |pages=48, 49, 55}} Kovalchick worked with local groups who wanted to save the structure, and Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton signed a bill into law on August 12, 1963, to purchase the bridge and nearby land for $50,000 and create Kinzua Bridge State Park.{{cite book |title=History of Pennsylvania's State Parks |last=Forrey |first=William C. | year=1984 |publisher=Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |location=Harrisburg |oclc=17824084}} The deed for the park's {{convert|316|acre}} was recorded on January 20, 1965, and the park was opened to the public in 1970.

File:2019 09 ASCE NHCEL Pennsylvania- Kinzua Bridge ASCE plaque.png

An access road to the park was built in 1974, and new facilities there included a parking lot, drinking water and toilets, and installation of a fence on the bridge deck. On July 5, 1975, there was an official ribbon cutting ceremony for the park, which "was and is unique in the park system" since "its centerpiece is a man-made structure". The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1977,{{Cite journal |author1=United States Department of the Interior |author-link=United States Department of the Interior |author2=National Park Service |author2-link=National Park Service |title=National Register of Historic Places: Annual Listing of Historic Properties |date=February 6, 1979 |journal=Federal Register |publisher=National Archives of the United States |volume=44 |issue=26 |page=7577 |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/Weekly_List_FR-Tuesday-Feb-6-1979-listingyear1966-1978.pdf |access-date=September 20, 2011}} and was named to the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks by the American Society of Civil Engineers on June 26, 1982.

The Knox and Kane Railroad (KKRR) operated sightseeing trips from Kane through the Allegheny National Forest and over the Kinzua Bridge from 1987 until the bridge was closed in 2002. In 1988 it operated the longest steam train excursion in the United States, a {{convert|97|mi|adj=on}} round trip to the bridge from the village of Marienville in Forest County, with a stop in Kane. The New York Times described being on the bridge as "more akin to ballooning than railroading" and noted "You stare straight out with nothing between you and an immense sea of verdure a hundred yards [91 m] below."{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Behrman |title=Steaming Through Pennsylvania: From Amish country westward, old rail lines offer excursions to mines and picnic grounds |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 8, 1988 |page=XX14 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/08/travel/steaming-through-pennsylvania.html |access-date=March 5, 2010}} The railroad still operated excursions through the forest and stopped at the bridge's western approach until October 2004.{{cite news |title=Knox & Kane Railroad to sell entire inventory during auction |last=Milliron |first=Kyle |date=September 24, 2008 |newspaper=The Bradford Era |access-date=December 21, 2008 |url=http://www.bradfordera.com/articles/2008/09/24/news/doc48d9ae2e480c0445264989.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509233742/http://www.bradfordera.com/articles/2008/09/24/news/doc48d9ae2e480c0445264989.txt |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}

As of 2009, Kinzua Bridge State Park is a {{convert|329|acre|adj=on}} Pennsylvania state park surrounding the bridge and the Kinzua Valley. The park is located off of U.S. Route 6 north of Mount Jewett in Hamlin and Keating Townships. A scenic overlook within the park allows views of the fallen bridge and of the valley, and is also a prime location to view the fall foliage in mid-October.{{Cite news |last=McKay |first=Gretchen |title=Kinzua colors: Reborn bridge offers spectacular views of fall foliage |date=September 15, 2013 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/travel/kinzua-colors-reborn-bridge-offer-spectacular-views-of-fall-foliage-703448 |access-date=December 13, 2013}} The park has a shaded picnic area with a centrally-located modern restroom. Before the bridge's collapse, visitors were allowed on or under the bridge and hiking was allowed in the valley around the bridge. In September 2002 the bridge was closed even to pedestrian traffic. About {{convert|100|acre}} of Kinzua Bridge State Park are open to hunting. Common game species are turkey, bear and deer.

File:July 21 2003 Pennsylvania mesocyclone.gif

Since 2002, the Kinzua Bridge had been closed to all "recreational pedestrian and railroad usage" after it was determined that the structure was at risk to high winds. Engineers had determined that during high winds, the bridge's center of gravity could shift, putting weight onto only one side of the bridge and causing it to fail. An Ohio-based bridge construction and repair company had started work on restoring the Kinzua Bridge in February 2003.

On July 21, 2003, construction workers had packed up and were starting to leave for the day when a storm arrived.{{cite report|chapter-url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/app/appd.pdf|title=Report on the July 21st Collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct|author=Gannett Fleming|date=December 2003|publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources|access-date=January 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922032023/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/app/appd.pdf|chapter=Appendix D: Eyewitness Accounts Construction Crew of the W.M. Brode Company|archive-date=September 22, 2012}} A tornado spawned by the storm struck the Kinzua Bridge, snapping and uprooting nearby trees, as well as causing 11 of the 20 bridge towers to collapse. There were no deaths or injuries. The tornado was produced by a mesoscale convective system (MCS), a complex of strong thunderstorms, that had formed over an area that included eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, western New York, and southern Ontario.{{sfn|Leech|McHaugh|Dicarlantonio|2005|p=5}} The MCS traveled east at around {{convert|40|mph|km/h|-1}}. As the MCS crossed northwestern Pennsylvania, it formed into a distinctive comma shape. The northern portion of the MCS contained a long-lived mesocyclone, a thunderstorm with a rotating updraft that is often conducive to tornados.{{Cite report |chapter=Meteorological Aspects of the 21 July 2003 Kinzua Viaduct Storm |title=Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct |publisher=Department of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University |last=Markowski |author-link=Paul Markowski |first=Paul |date=December 2003 |chapter-url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/app/appb.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922031605/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/app/appb.pdf |archive-date=September 22, 2012 |access-date=January 29, 2009}}

At approximately 15:20 EDT (19:20 UTC), the tornado touched down in Kinzua Bridge State Park, {{convert|1|mi|km|1}} from the Kinzua Bridge. The tornado, classified as F1 on the Fujita scale, passed by the bridge and continued another {{convert|2.5|mi|0}} before it lifted. It touched down again {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} from Smethport and traveled another {{convert|3|mi|km|1}} before finally dissipating. It was estimated to have been {{convert|1/3|mi|m|-1|adj=on}} wide and it left a path {{convert|3.5|mi|km|1}} long.{{cite web |title=Event Record Details |publisher=National Climatic Data Center |date=July 21, 2003 |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~513297 |access-date=January 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509202157/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~513297 |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |df=mdy-all }} The same storm also spawned an F3 tornado in nearby Potter County.{{cite web |title=Event Record Details |publisher=National Climatic Data Center |date=July 21, 2003 |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~513309 |access-date=January 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509202730/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~513309 |archive-date=May 9, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}

When the tornado touched down, the winds had increased to at least {{convert|94|mph|km/h|0}} and were coming from the east, perpendicular to the bridge, which ran north–south. An investigation determined that Towers 10 and 11 had collapsed first, in a westerly direction.{{Cite report |chapter-url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/body/010.html |author=Gannett Fleming |date=December 2003 |chapter=Initiation of Failure |title=Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct |access-date=February 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610115429/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/body/010.html |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources}} Meanwhile, Towers 12 through 14 had actually been picked up off their foundations, moved slightly to the northwest and set back down intact and upright, held together by only the railroad tracks on the bridge. Next, towers four through nine collapsed to the west, twisting clockwise, as the tornado started to move northward. As it moved north, inflow winds came in from the south and caused Towers 12, 13, and 14 to finally collapse towards the north, twisting counterclockwise.

The failures were caused by the badly-rusted iron base bolts holding the bases of the towers to concrete anchor blocks embedded into the ground. An investigation determined that the tornado had a wind speed of at least {{convert|94|mph|km/h|0}}, which applied an estimated {{convert|90|STf|kN|lk=on}} of lateral force against the bridge.{{cite report |chapter-url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/body/009.html |author=Gannett Fleming |date=December 2003 |chapter=Mechanics of Collapse |title=Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct |access-date=January 29, 2009 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609093002/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/body/009.html |archive-date=June 9, 2011}} The investigation also hypothesized that the whole structure oscillated laterally four to five times before fatigue started to cause the base bolts to fail. The towers fell intact in sections and suffered damage upon impact with the ground.{{cite report|chapter-url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/body/009.html |author=Gannett Fleming |date=December 2003 |chapter=Executive Summary |title=Report on the July 21st collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct |access-date=January 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922032157/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/body/001.html |archive-date=September 22, 2012 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources}} The century-old bridge was destroyed in less than 30 seconds.

{{Panorama

| image = File:Kinzua Bridge panorama 2.jpg

| height = 300

| caption = Panorama of Kinzua Gorge, in June 2011, from the south

| alt = View of the remains of a bridge across a valley. Part of the bridge in foreground and a portion at its far end remain standing, whereas the rest is collapsed and lying on the valley floor.

}}

File:Destroyed_Side_of_the_Kinzua_Bridge.jpg

The state decided not to rebuild the Kinzua Bridge, which would have cost an estimated $45 million. Instead, it was proposed that the ruins be used as a visitor attraction to show the forces of nature at work. Kinzua Bridge State Park had attracted 215,000 visitors annually before the bridge collapsed,{{cite press release |title=Emergency Repair Work Begins on Kinzua Bridge in McKean County |date=February 27, 2003 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/press/kinzuabridge27feb03.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030707202519/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/STATEPARKS/press/kinzuabridge27feb03.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2003 |access-date=February 5, 2009}} and was chosen by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Parks for its list of "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".{{cite web |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/twenty/20parks.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040203093624/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/twenty/20parks.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2004 |title=Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks |access-date=August 8, 2007 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources}} Note: Despite the title, there are twenty-one parks in the list, with Colton Point and Leonard Harrison State Parks treated as one. The viaduct and its collapse were featured in the History Channel's Life After People as an example of how corrosion and high winds would eventually lead to the collapse of any steel structure.{{cite video |people=David de Vries (Director) |title=Life After People |publisher=History Channel |medium=Documentary |date=January 21, 2008 |isbn=1-4229-0939-5}} The bridge was removed from the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 2004.{{Cite web |title=Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 7/19/04 through 7/23/04 |publisher=National Park Service |date=July 30, 2004 |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/listings/20040730.htm |access-date=June 12, 2011}}

The Knox and Kane Railroad was forced to suspend operations in October 2006 after a 75 percent decline in the number of passengers, possibly brought about by the collapse of the Kinzua Bridge.{{cite news |last=Lutz |first=Ted |title='Slim' chance is seen for tourist train |date=October 10, 2008 |newspaper=The Kane Republican}} The Kovalchick Corporation bought the Knox and Kane's tracks and all other property owned by the railroad, including the locomotives and rolling stock. The Kovalchick Corporation also owns the East Broad Top Railroad and was the company that owned the Kinzua Bridge before selling it to the state in 1963. The company disclosed plans in 2008 to remove the tracks and sell them for scrap. The right-of-way would then be used to establish a rail trail.

The state of Pennsylvania reimagined the Kinzua State Park as one anchored by a "sky walk" viewing platform and network of hiking trails. It released $700,000 to design repairs on the remaining towers and plan development of the new park facilities in June 2005.{{cite web |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0621-kinzuabridgesp.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060327234301/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/resource/res2005/05-0621-kinzuabridgesp.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 27, 2006 |title=Governor Rendell announces release of $700,000 for Kinzua Bridge State Park |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |work=Resource (newsletter) |date=June 21, 2005 |access-date=February 21, 2009}} In late 2005, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) put forward an $8 million proposal for a new observation deck and visitors' center, with plans to allow access to the bridge and a hiking trail giving views of the fallen towers.{{Cite journal |last=Genshiemer |first=Lisa |title=Hope for the Kinzua Viaduct |journal=Society for Industrial Archeology Newsletter |volume=34 |issue=4 |date=Fall 2005 |pages=10–11 |access-date=April 27, 2008 |url=http://www.sia-web.org/sian/images/sianv34/sianv344.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318130337/http://www.sia-web.org/sian/images/sianv34/sianv344.pdf |archive-date=March 18, 2009 |df=mdy-all }} The Kinzua Sky Walk was opened on September 15, 2011, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.{{Cite news |last=Lutz |first=Ted |title=Ribbon cut to mark opening of Kinzua Sky Walk |date=September 16, 2011 |newspaper=The Kane Republican |url=http://www.kanerepublican.com/content/ribbon-cut-mark-opening-kinzua-sky-walk |access-date=September 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324185448/http://www.kanerepublican.com/content/ribbon-cut-mark-opening-kinzua-sky-walk |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |df=mdy-all }} The Sky Walk consists of a pedestrian walkway to an observation deck with a glass floor at the end of the bridge that allows views of the bridge and the valley directly below. The walkway cost $4.3 million to construct, but in 2011 a local tourism expert estimated it could eventually bring in $11.5 million of tourism revenue each year.{{Cite press release |title=Visitors Invited to Walk Out and Observe Valley Below on Restored Portion of Viaduct at Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean Count |date=September 15, 2011 |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conversation and Natural Resources |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/newsreleases/2011/0911-kinzuabridgesp.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008034744/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/news/newsreleases/2011/0911-kinzuabridgesp.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 8, 2011 |access-date=September 20, 2011}}

• List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania
• List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record
• National Register of Historic Places listings in McKean County, Pennsylvania
• Tornadoes of 2003

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

Sources

• {{Cite journal |last1=Leech |first1=Thomas G |last2=McHaugh |first2=Jonathan D |last3=Dicarlantonio |first3=George |title=Lessons from the Kinzua |date=November 2005 |journal=Civil Engineering |volume=75 |issue=11 |publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers |pages=56–61 |issn=0885-7024 }}
• {{Cite web |last=Packard |first=Vance |publisher=National Park Service |date=January 25, 1977 |title=Kinzua Viaduct |work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form |url={{NRHP-PA|H000610_01H.pdf}} |access-date=December 13, 2013 }}

{{Commons category|Kinzua Bridge}}

• [https://www.asce.org/about-civil-engineering/history-and-heritage/historic-landmarks/kinzua-railway-viaduct Kinzua Railway Viaduct] Historic Civil landmark at the American Society of Civil Engineers site
• [http://www.open2.net/sciencetechnologynature/worldaroundus/kinzua_partone.html "Collapse at Kinzua"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611093047/http://www.open2.net/sciencetechnologynature/worldaroundus/kinzua_partone.html |date=June 11, 2011 }} (Open University)
• {{HAER |survey=PA-7 |id=pa0576 |title=Erie Railway, Bradford Division, Bridge 27.66 (Kinzua Viaduct)}}
• {{Cite web |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/kinzua.html |title=Report on the July 21st Collapse of the Kinzua Viaduct |access-date=October 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426113330/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/info/kinzuabridgereport/kinzua.html |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

{{Adjacent stations|system=Erie Railroad|line=Bradford Division|left=Riderville|right=Mount Jewett}}

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Category:1882 establishments in Pennsylvania

Category:Bridges completed in 1882

Category:Transportation buildings and structures in McKean County, Pennsylvania

Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Pennsylvania

Category:Erie Railroad bridges

Category:Former railway bridges in the United States

Category:Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks

Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania

Category:Railroad bridges in Pennsylvania

Category:Towers in Pennsylvania

Category:Viaducts in the United States

Category:Steel bridges in the United States

Category:Trestle bridges in the United States