{"nrhp_refnum":"88000764","name":"Old Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"LR 128 over Susquehanna River and RR","address_restricted":false,"city":"Columbia","county":"Lancaster County","state":"PA","lat":40.03055773800003,"lon":-76.51102539399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-06-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 48-span open-spandrel reinforced concrete arch bridge carrying vehicular traffic across the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, completed in 1930. It was designed by James B. Long and built by Wiley-Maxon Construction Co.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the bridge is important for its engineering and transportation role. When completed, it was described as the longest multiple arch concrete bridge in the world. A distinctive construction system with reusable steel forms and a parallel construction railway was devised for its building. It is the fifth bridge at this river crossing, following earlier covered and metal truss bridges.","narrative":"Spanning the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, this concrete highway bridge was completed in 1930 to a design by James B. Long, with Wiley-Maxon Construction Co. as contractor. It has 48 spans in total, including 28 three-ribbed open-spandrel reinforced concrete arches over the river, each spanning 185 feet, and it measures about 6,657 feet long. Its river piers are unreinforced concrete. The arch surfaces are scored to imitate voussoirs, and the solid parapet carries ornate light posts. Because of its length, the builders devised a construction system using reusable steel forms and a parallel construction railway. The bridge was regarded as the longest multiple arch concrete bridge in the world when completed. It was dedicated on Armistice Day, 1930, in memory of local citizens who served in war. It replaced earlier covered and metal truss bridges at the crossing, the first of which dated from 1812.","period_of_significance":"1929-1930","architect_builder":"James B. Long (designer/engineer); Wiley-Maxon Construction Co. (builder/contractor)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Vehicular use; the form marks use as vehicular both present and original.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:38.004256-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88000764.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000764/d3dc9288fd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000764/d3dc9288fd-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Joseph E. B. Elliot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbia-Wrightsville_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Joseph E. B. Elliot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Columbia-Wrightsville_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993303","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia%E2%80%93Wrightsville_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3396511"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lancaster-county/old-columbia-wrightsville-bridge-88000764/"}