Kinzua Viaduct succumbing to age

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Sunday, October 06, 2002 | The Associated Press

[Willie Green]

MT. JEWETT, Pa. -- The Kinzua Viaduct is a rusted 3,300-ton testament to the Industrial Age once touted as an engineering marvel, the tallest and longest railroad bridge in the world. Without repairs, it may someday be only a memory.

[Willie Green]

For additional pics, I would encourage you to click on The History of the Kinzua Viaduct and related pages.
There's only a total of 3~4 pics, but they're truely awesome!

[Willie Green]

Whooooops!

Correction: I didn't notice the links that were on the pictures themselves
(only the links that were in the text.)
There are actually MANY old pics, all of them fascinating!

[RightWhale]

Concrete is fully cured in 30 years. After 100 years it begins to break down. The footings are probably weakening and must be replaced before any work on the superstructure begins. Send it all to Paris. They seem to like old, useless piles of steel. They can set it up next to the Louvre.

[dighton]

Some great pix here.

"Don't look down" bump.

[BigBobber]

The original trestle was amazingly flimsy. It looks like the deck was just floating on air!

I believe Nick Kovalchick was the same scrap dealer who saved the East Broad Top narrow gauge railroad from oblivion.

Let's hope this masterpiece can be preserved.

Civil engineering bump.

[secretagent]

Impressive!

[secretagent]

Concrete is fully cured in 30 years. After 100 years it begins to break down.

So this means all the concrete dams...

[okie01]

Willie, thanks so much for the post.

Wife and I drove from Texas up to Connecticut for son's wedding a couple of years ago. Spent the night at a B&B in Ridgway, a neat little town in the mountains, then detoured via the Kinzua State Park on a crisp late September morning.

We had the park to ourselves and walked all the way across the bridge and back. While there was only a wisp of breeze in the park, it was like a gale blowing through the valley out in the center of the bridge, at deck level.

It was a gorgeous Pennsylvania day and we'll remember the Kinzua viaduct for the rest of our lives.

[MineralMan]

Things wear out. Things deteriorate. Things have to go. How much would fixing this cost? Who's gonna pay? Tear it down before someone gets killed, I say.

[Willie Green]

It was a gorgeous Pennsylvania day and we'll remember the Kinzua viaduct for the rest of our lives.

The Kinzua Dam is also up in that neck of the woods.

While Kinzua Dam is rather small compared to giants such as Hoover. Grand Coulee and other western dams, it serves a vital purpose in this region of Pennsylvanian.
Built by the Corp of Engineers primarily for flood control of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers, it is also capable of generating 380 MW of pumped storage hydroelectricity.

Lotta good trout fishing below the dam as well!

[okie01]

We thought about drift fishing for trout on the Allegheny. But decided instead to go for canoeing and smallmouth fishing on the Clarion, out of Ridgway. It was too late in the season for trout on the Clarion, but it was a beautiful trip.

And, on light tackle, even small river smallmouths are a kick.

Understand that Kinzua Creek, beneath the viaduct, is a trophy trout stream. Might be worth another trip -- I sure liked that part of the Keystone State.

[Willie Green]

Understand that Kinzua Creek, beneath the viaduct, is a trophy trout stream. Might be worth another trip -- I sure liked that part of the Keystone State.

That North/Central portion of Pennsylvania is often referred to as "God's Country".
Opening day of trout is 8:00 AM, the first Saturday after April 11.
I'd suggest visiting in May as you can easily risk snow and frostbite in April.
Any later than mid-June, you don't have much chance with trout unless you "match-the-hatch" flyfish.
And check the regs, some streams a are flyfish only, and others are even strictly catch-and-release.
Just the same, most streams in the area are excellent fishing, and there is plenty of opportunity for even those of us who only drown worms.

[okie01]

"Just the same, most streams in the area are excellent fishing, and there is plenty of opportunity for even those of us who only drown worms."

I'll be back.

[Willie Green]

Well great!
In that case, here's a useful link you can brouse at your leisure for future planning: Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission -- Fishing.
There you can begin to familiarize yourself with the different rules/regulations/licenses/fees in addition to the different types of gamefish, their open seasons, size & limits, etc. etc. etc.
Plenty of good fishing in Pennsylvania be it in a creek, stream, river, pond or lake. I always thought the rules & regs to be quite reasonable. But such things vary from state to state, and if you're coming from out of state, it'll pay off to familiarize yourself ahead of time to maximize you're enjoyment.

[RightWhale]

all the concrete dams

Yep.

Got that from someone in construction/demolition for 50 years. Little rules that you pick up here and there, rule of thumb.