{"nrhp_refnum":"88000801","name":"Watsontown River Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"LR 240 spur over W branch of Susquehanna River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Watsontown","county":"Northumberland County","state":"PA","lat":41.080962587000045,"lon":-76.86509598399994,"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 multiple-span open-spandrel concrete arch road bridge carrying a road over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River between Watsontown and Milton in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, built in 1927.","why_significant":"The nomination describes it as an unusual example of a long, multiple-span open-spandrel arch bridge. Its nine arches are solid barrels rather than individual arch ribs, which the nomination says makes it the only such bridge among those in the group. It is significant in engineering.","narrative":"Built in 1927 over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, the bridge carries a road between Watsontown and Milton in Northumberland County. It has nine concrete arches and a total length of 1,080 feet, with a main span of 120 feet and eight secondary spans of the same length. Designed by James B. Long and built by George W. Rockwell, it is an open-spandrel arch bridge with ornamental piers and light towers. Its solid barrel arches, in place of the individual ribs found on similar bridges, set it apart from the other long-span bridges of its type in the group. Its engineering design gives it its importance, and the structure is recorded as largely unaltered from its original appearance.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"James B. Long (designer/engineer); George W. Rockwell (builder/contractor)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.318192-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88000801.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000801/86787455b1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000801/86787455b1-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"PennDOT","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watsontown_River_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">PennDOT</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watsontown_River_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71993436","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watsontown_River_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7974895"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/northumberland-county/watsontown-river-bridge-88000801/"}