Vanport Bridge

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name= Vanport Bridge

|image=vanportbr.jpg

|image_size=300px

|caption= The Vanport Bridge at dusk.

|official_name=

|also_known_as=

|carries= 4 lanes of {{jct|state=PA|I|376}}

|crosses= Ohio River

|locale= Vanport Township, Pennsylvania

|maint= PennDOT

|id=

|design= Continuous truss bridge

|mainspan= 220 m

|length=

|width=

|clearance=

|below=

|traffic=

|open= 1968

|closed=

|toll=

|map_cue=

|map_image=

|map_text=

|map_width=

|coordinates= {{Coord|40|40|45|N|80|19|53|W|region:US_type:landmark}}

}}

Image:Vanportbr2.jpg

The Vanport Bridge is a four-lane continuous truss bridge that carries Interstate 376 across the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States.

History and notable features

A total of $10,476,268 was spent on construction of the 1,762-foot bridge over the Ohio River connecting Vanport and Potter townships, which was opened to traffic on December 23, 1968.Pennsylvania Road Builder, 1970, Volumes 43-44, page 50. As a vital part of the Beaver Valley Expressway it was carrying approximately 30,000 vehicles daily in 1990.A Performance Audit of the PA Department of Transportation, Pursuant to Act 1981-35: Final Report.

In January 1990, the bridge was closed for three days after corrosion and fourteen cracks in welds were discovered during a routine Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) inspection. The cracks ranged in size from seven to thirty-four inches. Damage was located in the bottom truss plate that held the steel box beam in the central span.Vanport Bridge diagnosis, The Pittsburgh Press, January 5, 1990. Passenger traffic was rerouted to the Rochester–Monaca Bridge; trucks — to the Shippingport Bridge. The Vanport Bridge remained restricted to traffic until October 2001, when an out of control apple truck crashed into a crew of carpenters, killing five. It reopened shortly after."I Had No Brakes," The Beaver County Times, October 11, 2001