{"nrhp_refnum":"88000752","name":"Second Street Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"PA 291/Second St. over Chester Creek","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chester","county":"Delaware County","state":"PA","lat":39.84487408600006,"lon":-75.36033852199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A concrete tied-through bowstring arch bridge carrying Second Street across Chester Creek in the City of Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It has one main span of 84 feet and was built by Delaware County in 1919.","why_significant":"The nomination describes it as an unusual use of concrete in a form typically associated with steel arches, and as the earliest known example of this bridge type in Pennsylvania. It is significant under engineering. Its concrete bowstring arch form was popular in the early twentieth century.","narrative":"Crossing Chester Creek in the City of Chester, the Second Street Bridge is a concrete tied-through bowstring arch completed in 1919 by Delaware County. Its single main span measures 84 feet. Two arch ribs rise from masonry cut-granite abutments, and their lateral thrust is carried by horizontal ties. Hooked, radiating steel reinforcing bars join each rib to its tie, and ten hangers connect the floor beams to the arches. The deck carries vehicles today. Decorative concrete railings, set in a star pattern, form the parapets. The bridge is significant for its engineering. Its concrete build of a form more commonly made in steel makes it an unusual example. The nomination identifies it as the earliest known example of this type in Pennsylvania. Bowstring arches of this kind, sometimes called Rainbow or Marsh arches, were popular in the early decades of the twentieth century. James B. Long, later designer of the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge, served as engineer.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"James B. Long (engineer); Paul D. Kauffman (designer)","architectural_style":"Concrete bowstring arch (tied-through arch; Concrete Rainbow)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Currently in use for vehicular traffic, crossing PA 291 Second St.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.539412-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88000752.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000752/a1ab3dc13c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000752/a1ab3dc13c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"PennDOT","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Street_Bridge,_Chester.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">PennDOT</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Street_Bridge,_Chester.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992880","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Street_Bridge_(Chester,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7443570"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/delaware-county/second-street-bridge-88000752/"}